Shafali's heroics, Deepti's five-for: Navi Mumbai night that changed cricket

NewsSports NewsCricket NewsShafali Verma's heroics, Harmanpreet's catch and Deepti's five-for: The night that changed Indian women's cricket forever with ODI World Cup win Shafali Verma's heroics, Harmanpreet's catch and Deepti's five-for: The night that changed Indian women's cricket forever with ODI World Cup win Edited by Shubhanshu Dwivedi / TIMESOFINDIA.COM / Updated: Nov 02, 2026, 13:51 IST India's players celebrate after winning the ICC Women's World Cup final ODI cricket match between India Women and South Africa Women, at the DY Patil Stadium, in Navi Mumbai.

(PTI Photo) India's long wait for a maiden Women's World Cup title ended on November 2, 2025, when Harmanpreet Kaur and her teammates beat South Africa by 52 runs in the final at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai.

The victory remains a landmark moment for Indian women's cricket and women's sport in India.The win, in front of a packed stadium, brought an end to a campaign that had nearly slipped away after India suffered three consecutive defeats in the league stage, including one against South Africa.

Watch Inside Gill and KL Rahul's intense training | Why no Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma | Nets footage There were several reasons why this World Cup meant so much to India. They were playing at home, had emerged as one of the formidable teams in women's cricket and had pushed Australia, the dominant force in the game, harder than anyone else.

India had also beaten Australia in the semi-final to book their place in the title clash. After years of coming close, the team finally had a chance to win the trophy.India's triumph was set up by two players who delivered when it mattered most.

Shafali Verma, who was not part of the original squad and came in as a replacement ahead of semi-final after Pratika Rawal was ruled out with an ankle injury, scored 87 off 78 balls in the final. Her innings helped India post 298 for 7.

She also took two wickets at a crucial stage of South Africa's chase.Deepti Sharma played an equally important role. The off-spinner, who had also improved her batting, scored a half-century at a run-a-ball before taking five wickets.

She combined her ability to generate turn with the control needed to restrict South Africa. India eventually won by 52 runs, though the margin did not reflect how closely contested the final was.Both teams had experienced heartbreak in the past, but only one could lift the trophy.

South Africa were left disappointed, particularly their captain Laura Wolvaardt, who finished as the tournament's highest run-scorer. After scoring a century in the semi-final, she produced another fine innings in the final.

As long as she was at the crease, South Africa remained in contention, given the depth in their batting line-up. Her innings ended when she was dismissed for 101 off 98 balls, miscuing a shot off Deepti into the night sky.<div data-pos="0" class="id-r-component iIpbx undefined The scale of India&#x27;s achievement became clearer as they began defending the total.

With 11 overs remaining, South Africa needed 92 runs with five wickets in hand. Wolvaardt was keeping them in the contest, but her dismissal changed the course of the match. Amanjot Kaur took a brilliant catch in the deep to send the South African captain back, allowing India to take control.South Africa were eventually bowled out for 246 in the 46th over.The final went deep into the night, but when Harmanpreet took the catch at extra cover to dismiss Nadine de Klerk and seal the 52-run victory, the DY Patil Stadium erupted.Pratika Rawal, who was celebrating with the team in a wheelchair after her injury, had a smile.

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