Playing their third World Cup final after the heartbreaks of 2005 and 2017, India finally ended years of waiting with a dominant performance in front of home fans. The BCCI announced a cash reward of ?51 crore for the team.
Batting first, India posted 298 for 7 — the second-highest total in tournament history. Shafali Verma led the charge with 87 off 84 balls, while Deepti Sharma contributed 55 runs and later produced a match-winning spell of 5 for 39.
Deepti ended as the tournament’s top wicket-taker with 21 scalps. Shafali, recalled to the squad after Pratika Rawal’s injury, proved the surprise hero, adding two wickets to her crucial batting performance.
Smriti Mandhana (45) gave India a strong start, adding 104 runs with Shafali for the first wicket. Mandhana finished the campaign with a record 434 runs, the most by an Indian in Women’s World Cup history.
South Africa’s chase was built around captain Laura Wolvaardt’s 101 off 98 balls, but India’s bowlers kept control. Amanjot Kaur’s run-out and tight spells from Shree Charani and Shafali broke the rhythm before Deepti’s double strike sealed the win.
With the victory, India became only the fourth nation to win the Women’s World Cup, joining Australia, England, and New Zealand marking a new era in Indian cricket.
