Desi Talk

www.desitalk.com – that’s all you need to know Cricket-India Win Maiden Women’s World Cup Title After Verma-Sharma Show I ndia’s agonising wait for a maidenWomen’sWorld Cup title finally came to an end as Harmanpreet Kaur and her teary-eyed teammates clinched the trophy by beating South Africa in a dramatic final at the DY Patil Stadium on Sunday. Their 52-run victory before a full house was the per- fect culmination of a campaign, which was nearly derailed after three defeats in a row, including one against South Af- rica, in the league phase. Kaur’s team pulled off a record chase in their semi-final against defending cham- pions Australia to reach the final against a South Africa side also gunning for their maiden 50-overWorld Cup title. India found an unlikely hero in opener Shafali Verma, whose whirlwind 87 was key to their total of 298-7 even though 350 looked within their reach at one stage. Verma also had a golden arm, claiming two quick wickets that turned the match on its head after South Africa captain LauraWolvaardt (101) led their robust reply with her second successive hundred of the tour- nament. Verma walked away with the player-of-the-match award in the final of a tournament where she was drafted in only before the knockout stage as a late injury replacement. Deepti Sharma was equally impressive, smashing a run-a-ball 58 and following it with figures of 5-39. The 28-year-old finished theWorld Cup with 22 wick- ets and 215 runs, which earned her the player-of-the- tournament award. Wolvaardt kept South Africa, who were all out for 246 in the 46th over, in the chase but once she holed out in the deep, India took charge of the contest. India opener Smriti Mandhana, their leading scorer in the tournament, summed up the feeling in their camp after they clinched victory follow- ing two previous final defeats. “It’s still sinking in. I haven’t been emotional on a cricket field but just an unreal night,” she said battling tears. “To be the cham- pions, I’m not able to process it. “EveryWorld Cup we go in, there have been so many heartbreaks but we always believe we have a responsibility with women’s cricket and to see the last month and a half and the way we’ve been supported… I will take that 45 days of not sleeping every night.” Wolvaardt finished as the tournament’s leading scorer but found little joy in personal milestones. “I couldn’t be prouder of this team for the cam- paign that we’ve had,” the opener said. “We’ve played some brilliant cricket throughout but we were outplayed today, India played fantasti- cally well. “We had a lot of different players stepping up, it was an amazing tournament for a lot of players. I’m just proud of the resilience we showed to get to the final.” -Reuters 15 SPORTS November 7, 2025 PHOTOS:REUTERS/FRANCIS MASCARENHAS Cricket – ICC Women’s World Cup – Final – India v South Africa – DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai, India – November 2, 2025 India players celebrate with the trophy after winning the ICC Women’s World Cup. Cricket – ICC Women’s World Cup – Final – India v South Africa – DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai, India – November 2, 2025 India’s Harmanpreet Kaur and teammates celebrate with the trophy after winning the ICC Women’s World Cup. Cricket – ICC Women’s World Cup – Final – India v South Africa – DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai, India – November 2, 2025 South Africa’s Sune Luus in action with India’s Sinalo Jafta Cricket – ICC Women’s World Cup – Final – India v South Africa – DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai, India – November 2, 2025 India’s Shafali Verma in action. Cricket – ICC Women’s World Cup – Final – India v South Africa – DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai, India – November 2, 2025 India’s Shafali Verma in action.