India script her-story

Finally, Indian skipper Harmanpreet Kaur can bid adieu to international cricket with an ICC World Cup Trophy, as India defeated South Africa by 52 runs to win their maiden title at DY Patil Stadium here.

The Proteas fought hard, but not hard enough to alter the course of India’s historic win. With 298 runs on the board, the trophy seemed to be slipping away from India at one stage. The 11-member South African team tried to silence the crowd of 45,000 during their chase, but the roar only grew louder as India sealed the victory.

Despite early setbacks, South African skipper Laura Wolvaardt carried her team’s hopes with a brilliant 101 off 98 balls, but found no support as their innings folded at 246.

India’s triumph, their first-ever World Cup title, felt nothing short of divine. To make it happen, destiny chose 21-year-old Shafali Verma from Haryana as she herself had said before joining the squad for the tournament’s final leg. Replacing injured Partika Rawal and returning to the ODI side after a year, Shafali made her World Cup debut against Australia and turned out to be India’s saviour in the final.

Spectacular win

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A spectacular win by the Indian team. Showed exceptional teamwork and tenacity throughout the tournament. This historic win will motivate future champions to take up sports. Narendra Modi, PM

She emerged as the star of the evening, blasting 87 off 78 balls for a blazing start and later picking up two crucial wickets that rattled South Africa’s middle order. Her knock made her India’s highest-ever scorer in a World Cup final. The youngest player to represent India in all three formats, Shafali truly lived up to her promise.

Straight out of Haryana’s domestic circuit, she had said before the tournament, “God has sent me for something good.” That “good” arrived tonight. Dropped on 76 by Anneke Bosch at deep midwicket, she punished the Proteas bowlers mercilessly thereafter. The lifeline given to her proved costly for the opponents as Shafali went after every bowler. A cramp in her left calf, however, broke her rhythm, and she was eventually caught by Sune Luus off Ayabonga Khaka. With her departure, the team’s run-rate also dropped, though Deepti Sharma (58) ensured a total of 298.

Chasing what seemed a manageable target considering the score posted in the last three matches, South Africa stayed in contention early on. But a fine Indian fielding changed the course. Tazmin Brits (23) was run out by Amanjot Kaur, opening the floodgates. While Laura played her best part, none of her teammates was able to support her in the chase. After Shafali’s twin strikes, Indian spinners tightened their grip, choking the South African innings. When skipper Harmanpreet Kaur caught Nadine de Klerk, it was all over. A new era began, with India crowned the new world champions of women’s cricket.