Led by in-form captain Laura Wolvaardt, South Africa made a cautious start in their pursuit of 299 in the final of the Women’s 50-over World Cup against India at Dr D Y Patil Sports Academy ground in Navi Mumbai on Sunday (November 2). India’s opening seamers Renuka Singh and Kranti Goud bowled disciplined starting spells as South Africa reached 33 after seven overs.

Earlier, a late-innings surge from Deepti Sharma (58) and Richa Ghosh (34) brought India back to a brisk scoring spree as the hosts posted 298 for 7 in 50 overs after the Proteas won the toss and invited hosts to bat first.

The Women in Green found the going tough initially as India openers Smriti Mandhana (45) and Shafali Verma (87) gave them a flying start, adding 104 runs for the first wicket.

It was the first one-day international fifty for Verma, who was brought back to the national side to replace an injured Pratika Rawal, in over three years and her fifth overall.

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The South Africa women, however, made a strong comeback in the middle overs by picking some quick wickets with medium-pacer Ayabonga Khaka ending with three wickets for 58 runs to be the most successful bowler of her team.

After Mandhana fell in the 18th over, Verma added 62 runs with Jemimah Rodrigues (24), hero of India’s semi-final victory against defending champions Australia at the same venue on Thursday (October 3). Once Verma departed, falling 13 runs short of what would have been a historic feat, the Women in Blue were in a spot as Rodrigues also fell five runs later.

Captain fails to impress

Captain Harmanpreet Kaur, who played a crucial knock of 89 in the semi-final, disappointed as she was dismissed for just 20 runs after adding 52 runs for the fourth wicket with Deepti Sharma, who hit a quickfire fifty. Richa, who played a scintillating knock of 94 against the same opponents in the league phase, then added crucial 47 runs in less than six overs with Sharma to take the total near 300. However, India would be ruing the fact that they could not breach the 300-run mark despite being in a strong position around the 30-over mark.

Mandhana, Verma’s super start

Earlier, Mandhana and Verma, who replaced an injured Pratika Rawal in the semi-final match against Australia at the same venue, put up 104 runs for the opening wicket after the visiting team won the toss and invited the hosts to bat first. The match’s start was delayed due to rain and wet ground conditions. The number of overs was not reduced, however.

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Mandhana was the first to depart after scoring 45 in 58 balls, a knock which was studded by eight fours. Verma’s knock of 87, her best ever in this format, came in just 78 balls and featured seven fours and two sixes. Sharma and Richa also hit three sixes between them towards the end.

For South Africa, spinners Chloe Tyron and Nonkululeko Mlaba took a wicket apiece while medium pacer Nadine de Klerk got one.

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However, her brief knock of 45 ensured that the southpaw became the India batter with the most runs in a single edition of the Women’s World Cup, eclipsing former captain Mithali Raj who scored 409 runs in England in 2017. Mandhana finished the current edition with 434 runs from nine games at an average exceeding 54.

India have never won the Women’s World Cup despite making the finals twice in the past. In 2005, they lost to Australia by 98 runs while in 2017, they fell short of the target by an agonising nine runs against England. South Africa are appearing in their first-ever final.

The two teams have met 34 times in the 50-over format, with India leading South Africa 20-13, with one match remaining inconclusive.

Brief Score India 298/7 in 50 overs (Shafali Verma 87, Deepti Sharma 58, Smriti Mandhana 45, Richa Ghosh 34; Ayabonga Khaka 3/58) vs South Africa