Cricket: History beckons as India and South Africa set for 2025 Women’s World Cup final showdown
Will third time be the charm for India?
History will be made at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on Sunday afternoon, when India take on South Africa in the 2025 Women’s Cricket World Cup final!
India booked their place in the global showpiece by pulling off arguably the greatest run chase of all time against Australia - 339 runs - thanks to stunning knocks from Jemimah Rodriguez and skipper Harmanpreet Kaur.
Rodriguez saw the Women in Blue over the line on 127 not out from 134 deliveries, while Kaur smashed 88 off 89 balls, and together the Indian pair produced a majestic second-wicket partnership of 167, which tipped the scales in their favour chasing the mammoth total.
This will be the third time that India will step into an ODI World Cup final, but both previous attempts ended in heartbreak. In 2025, they were beaten by Australia, while in 2017, it was England that denied them the title.
For the host nation, this tournament has been a story of resilience, as they were far from convincing during the group stages but edged through in the final qualification spot, and defied the betting odds to oust the seven-time champions in truly remarkable fashion.
One more game separates them from greatness, but this will certainly not be an easy task, as India lost to South Africa by three wickets during the group stage of the competition.
South Africa set for first World Cup final
Few cricketing nations have made as much progress as South Africa’s women’s national team over the past few years, and they will be hoping that their hard work will pay off this weekend by winning the biggest prize of all.
The Proteas have been beaten finalists twice in the T20 World Cup, but this is the first time that they have reached an ODI World Cup final. They suffered elimination in the semi-final of this competition two times as well - both against England.
However, this was the year that Laura Wolvaardt and co got their revenge, as they secured a commanding victory over the Lionesses in the semi-final, clinching victory by 125 runs on Wednesday at the Barsapara Stadium.
Wolvaardt led the charge with a record-breaking innings, scoring 169 runs from just 143 deliveries, while veteran all-rounder Marizanne Kapp finished with figures of 5/20 in seven overs. Our India Women vs South Africa Women prediction suggests Wolvaardt could be one to watch in this clash.
While South Africa may have the psychological advantage, having beaten this opponent earlier in the competition, India did win the two preceding matches against the Proteas and are playing at the same venue that they won their semi-final.
