At the stroke of midnight, the Harmanpreet Kaur-led Indian women's cricket team entered the history books, lifting the first-ever Women's World Cup title after beating South Africa in the final in Navi Mumbai. After posting 298/7 on the board having been put into bat by Laura Wolvaardt, India bowled South Africa out for 246 with 27 balls to spare. Deepti Sharma completed her five-wicket haul, dismissing Nadine de Klerk on the third ball of the 46th over.
India captain Harmanpreet embraced her deputy Smriti Mandhana, with the two sharing an emotional moment after the former took de Klerk's catch while back pedaling at extra cover.
Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur hugged after winning world cup . pic.twitter.com/a08peVbU2F
— Team India (@FCteamINDIA) November 2, 2025
Shafali Verma scored a career-best 87 off 78 balls, before bagging a couple of wickets to clinch the 'Player of the Match' trophy.
Deepti, who returned with match figures of 5/39, ended the tournament as the leading wicket-taker with 22 scalps. She was named MVP of the Women's World Cup, having also scored 215 runs in seven innings.
For Harmanpreet, the lady who has done way more for Indian women's cricket than anyone can envisage, knows how much it hurts to lose a final as it happened eight summers back and her girls didn't let her down.
At the other end was the regal Laura Wolvaardt, who gave everything by scoring 101 off 98 balls.
For head coach Amol Muzumdar, the 'Nearly Man' of Indian cricket, who couldn't wear the whites that he richly deserved, the global triumph with the women's national team would certainly heal those wounds that he has carried for years.
This isn't just another World Cup triumph but something whose social impact will only be understood may be two decades from now.
Eleven special women, led by their firebrand skipper, from now on are not just role models but a beacon of hope for every girl from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, who aspire to pick up the willow and the white cherry, knowing that the sky is the limit.
(With PTI Inputs)
