Shafali Verma and Deepti Sharma produced stellar all-round performances as India captured their maiden Women’s World Cup title with a commanding 52-run victory over South Africa on Sunday.
In front of a packed DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai, hosts India posted 298-7 before bowling out South Africa for 246, with spinner Deepti Sharma claiming a superb five-wicket haul.
Verma led India’s batting charge with a fluent 87, while Sharma struck a brisk 58 to propel the team to a formidable total after a rain delay of two hours.
South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt fought valiantly with a century (101) but fell to Sharma in the 42nd over, triggering wild celebrations among the 45,000 fans inside the stadium. Sharma went on to dismiss Nadine de Klerk (18) to seal India’s historic triumph — their first after finishing runners-up in 2005 and 2017.
Sharma’s off-spin proved decisive, as she dismantled South Africa’s middle order, including the key wickets of Annerie Dercksen (35), Wolvaardt, and Chloe Tryon (9) in a match-turning spell.
Captain Harmanpreet Kaur’s tactical move to hand the ball to Verma in the 20th over also paid off. The young opener, who was brought back into the side for the semi-final after Pratika Rawal’s injury, struck twice — removing Sune Luus and Marizanne Kapp — to put South Africa on the back foot.
Earlier, Verma and Smriti Mandhana (45) laid a solid platform with a 104-run opening stand, continuing India’s batting dominance at the venue, which had witnessed their record chase of 339 against Australia in the semi-final.
Sharma’s composed half-century — her 18th in ODIs — ensured India set a challenging target, despite a three-wicket haul from Ayabonga Khaka.
As Sharma claimed the final wicket, jubilant scenes erupted across Mumbai and beyond, as India celebrated a long-awaited World Cup crown — a defining moment in women’s cricket history.
