Women's cricket prepares to crown a new world champion
With no Australia or England in the final, we will have a first-time ODI world champion for certain by the end of Sunday night in Navi Mumbai
Vishal Dikshit
01-Nov-2025 • 7 hrs ago
Big picture - India, South Africa on the cusp of history
The two finalists at this World Cup have crossed many barriers in the last decade or so and even over the last month.
South Africa pulled themselves together after the embarrassment of 69 all out and 97 all out, while India made it to the knockouts without beating any of the three teams that finished above them on the points table. South Africa unearthed new finishers. India unearthed new heroes. Both teams took on their nemesis in the knockouts, with South Africa breaking the hoodoo England have had over them with and India enthralling the home crowd by overpowering the Australians.
So now we have the first ODI World Cup final that features neither Australia nor England and the prospect of a brand new world champion.
By sending back two of the strongest teams in history, both India and South Africa stand of the cusp of history. The winner could reshape the contours of the women's game in their homeland, if not globally. Both countries are still grappling with deep-rooted issues that hinder women's access to education, employment and much else. Irrespective of the outcome on Sunday, the occasion has the power to establish players like Nonkululeko Mlaba and Kranti Gaud - who overcame enormous hurdles growing up in under-resourced regions - as household names and encourage young women, and their parents, to make them the next Smriti Mandhana or Marizanne Kapp.
South Africa will be tasked with the challenge of not only quieting a 30,000-plus crowd, but also adapting to the conditions in Navi Mumbai, where they have yet to play a game this World Cup. India, on the other hand, will turn up at DY Patil stadium for their fourth game in a row. They won the previous three. South Africa have had more time to recover from their semi-final high. India not quite as much. In a game with this much at stake, even the finest margins matter.
The last time a women's World Cup was staged here, the marquee event was relegated to smaller grounds because men's domestic cricket was more popular. The prize money was hardly comparable with that in the men's game, and bringing in crowds was a major task. The Lord's final in 2017 was the first big break for women's cricket. MCG took things to a different level in 2020. Navi Mumbai has a lot to live up to and early signs are that it will not disappoint.
Form guide
India WWLLL (last five completed matches, most recent first)
South Africa WLWWW
South Africa WLWWW
In the spotlight - Shafali Verma and Nadine de Klerk
Shafali Verma was plucked out of domestic T20s and put in as India's opener in the semi-final. She bashed a couple of boundaries but Australia found a way through her soon enough. She will want to do better against South Africa, and previous evidence suggests she could. Shafali smashed a 53 off 46 against them at the 2022 World Cup. In 2024, she also hammered a Test double-century. The conditions are ripe and the time is apt for Shafali to put up a score and put the World Cup snub - she wasn't picked in the original squad - behind her.
Nadine de Klerk took this World Cup by storm with a stunning knock against India - 84 not out off 54 balls - in the league stage and hasn't looked back. She has struck ten sixes this tournament (joint-highest with Richa Ghosh), she has dispatched a boundary every 4.8 balls (joint-highest with Alyssa Healy) and boasts the best strike rate, of 136.69. South Africa may want to give her more time in the middle than the six balls she faced in the semi-final. Navi Mumbai offers good batting conditions and she can do a lot of damage.
Team news: Extra bowler for South Africa?
India may have finally found their best XI in the semi-final, with batting depth till No. 8 and six bowling options. Radha Yadav was expensive on Thursday and Sneh Rana might be an option to replace her, except South Africa's entire batting line-up is right-handed, so holding onto the left-arm spinner might work better than swapping her out for an offspinner.
India (possible): 1. Smriti Mandhana, 2 Shafali Verma, 3 Jemimah Rodrigues, 4 Harmanpreet Kaur (capt), 5 Deepti Sharma, 6 Richa Ghosh (wk), 7 Amanjot Kaur, 8 Radha Yadav/Sneh Rana, 9 Kranti Gaud, 10, Shree Charani, 11 Renuka Singh
Hard-hitting opener Tazmin Brits hurt her shoulder on Wednesday in Guwahati but insisted she would play the final, which South Africa with a combination question. They batted till No. 9 against England, and reducing a batting option - Anneke Bosch or Annerie Dercksen - for a bowler - Masabata Klaas - may not be a bad idea if the pitch is flat.
South Africa (possible): 1 Laura Wolvaardt (capt), 2 Tazmin Brits, 3 Anneke Bosch/Masabata Klaas, 4 Sune Luus, 5 Marizanne Kapp, 6 Sinalo Jafta (wk), 7 Annerie Dercksen, 8 Chloe Tryon, 9 Nadine de Klerk, 10 Ayabonga Khaka, 11 Nonkululeko Mlaba
Pitch and conditions: Reserve day available
It's a bit incomprehensible that it's still raining in and around Mumbai in November. Unseasonal rains have been experienced over many parts of the country recently and more is expected on Sunday, especially after 5pm.
Conditions in Navi Mumbai will likely favour the batters, as they have so far, with dew possibly coming into the picture as well. There is a reserve day in case even a truncated match cannot be completed on Sunday. Play will resume on Monday, instead of starting over from the beginning, if the action spills over.
Stats and trivia: SA have the edge over India in recent World Cup games
- Nonkululeko Mlaba has kept Smriti Mandhana fairly quiet in ODIs, conceding 67 runs off 81 balls while also dismissing her three times.
- Jemimah Rodrigues facing her Delhi Capitals team-mate Marizane Kapp could be a battle to watch out for. Kapp has dismissed Rodrigues twice, while giving away only 16 runs in 40 balls
- Kapp has also troubled Harmanpreet Kaur, having removed her four times for 67 runs in 80 balls
- Deepti Sharma will be looking to restrain the in-form Laura Wolvaardt, who has a strike rate of only 54.91 (95 runs off 173 balls) in this head-to-head. Deepti has also dismissed Wolvaardt thrice.
- South Africa have beaten India in each of their last three World Cup contests
- India are set to play their third ODI World Cup final, after 2005 and 2017. No team has played three finals and not lifted the trophy
- South Africa have struck 31 sixes this World Cup, the most by any team
- Wolvaardt (470) is 40 runs away from becoming the top-scorer in a single edition of a World Cup. Alyssa Healy holds the record with 509 during the 2022 edition
Vishal Dikshit is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo