India Creates History – Wins the Women’s ODI World Cup: Defeats South Africa by 52 Runs to Become Champions

After a long wait of 47 years, India’s women have finally created history. On Sunday, Team India defeated South Africa by 52 runs in the final to win their first-ever Women’s One-Day International (ODI) World Cup.
21-year-old Shafali Verma was named Player of the Final for her all-round performance — scoring 87 runs and taking 2 crucial wickets.

Match Summary – DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai

South Africa won the toss and chose to bowl first. India posted 298/7 in 50 overs.
Key contributions came from Shafali Verma (87), Deepti Sharma (58), Smriti Mandhana (45), and Richa Ghosh (34).
For South Africa, Ayabonga Khaka took 3 wickets.

Chasing 299, South Africa were bowled out for 246. Captain Laura Wolvaardt scored a second consecutive century but couldn’t lead her team to victory.
India’s part-time off-spinner Shafali Verma turned the game with 2 key wickets, while Deepti Sharma’s five-wicket haul sealed India’s maiden title.
Deepti was also named Player of the Tournament.

Celebration and Records

As soon as the final South African batter was caught, India’s captain Harmanpreet Kaur jumped in joy, celebrating India’s historic win.
This was South Africa’s third consecutive ICC final defeat.

The Women’s ODI World Cup, which began 52 years ago in 1973, found a new champion after 25 years. India had first participated in 1978 under Diana Edulji’s captaincy. It took 47 years to lift the trophy.

India had previously reached the final in 2005 (lost to Australia) and 2017 (lost to England).
In 2025, India once again beat Australia in the semifinal and this time went all the way to defeat South Africa in the final.

This is India Women’s senior team’s first-ever ICC title in any format.

Harmanpreet Joins the Legends

With this triumph, Harmanpreet Kaur joins the elite list of Indian captains to win World Cups:

• Kapil Dev – 1983 Men’s ODI World Cup
• MS Dhoni – 2007 T20 World Cup & 2011 ODI World Cup
• Rohit Sharma – 2024 T20 World Cup
• Harmanpreet Kaur – 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup

Harmanpreet also set a record by scoring 331 runs in the knockout stages, surpassing Australia’s Belinda Clark (330).
Smriti Mandhana became the highest run-scorer in a single edition for India with 434 runs, surpassing Mithali Raj’s 2017 tally of 409.

Record Prize Money

The champion Indian team received ₹39.55 crore in prize money — the highest in tournament history, even more than the ₹33.31 crore awarded to Australia for the 2023 Men’s World Cup.
Runner-up South Africa received around ₹19.77 crore.

Comeback Stories That Changed India’s Fate

1. Jemimah Rodrigues – After being dropped for poor form, she scored a match-winning unbeaten 127 in the semifinal against Australia and added valuable 24 runs in the final.
2. Shafali Verma – Dropped from the ODI team a year earlier, she was not in the World Cup squad. But after opener Pratika Rawal was injured, Shafali came in as a replacement — scoring 87 runs and taking 2 wickets in the final to win Player of the Match honors.

India’s 15th ICC Title

This victory marked India’s 15th ICC trophy across senior and under-19 levels:

• Men’s Team: 2 ODI World Cups, 2 T20 World Cups, 3 Champions Trophies
• Under-19: 5 Men’s World Cups, 2 Women’s World Cups
• Now: 1 Women’s ODI World Cup (2025)

India stands second only to Australia, who have won 27 ICC titles.

Key Match Moments

India started strongly with a century stand between Mandhana and Shafali, but fell short of 300 despite the momentum.
Important contributions from Deepti Sharma and Richa Ghosh helped India reach 298.

South Africa’s chase began well, but Amanjot Kaur’s direct hit dismissed Tazmin Brits, and Shafali’s twin strikes broke their backbone.
Finally, Deepti Sharma’s five-for, including the crucial wicket of Wolvaardt (101), ended South Africa’s hopes.

Historic Triumph

With this win, India has not only broken its long drought in women’s cricket but also established itself as a new powerhouse in the game.
The entire nation celebrated as the Women in Blue lifted the 2025 ICC Women’s ODI World Cup Trophy, marking a new era in Indian cricket.