India Women vs South Africa Women Final Live Cricket Score Updates: South Africa managed to pull things back after India got off to a flying start and restricted the hosts to a score of 298/6 in the 2025 Women’s World Cup Final. India looked poised to score well over 300 for much of the first half of their innings, particularly during a 104-run opening partnership between Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana. Harmanpreet Kaur and Deepti Sharma steadied the boat for India after they lost a few wickets in quick succession in the middle overs. However, that period of stability ended in the 39th over when Nonkululeko Mlaba cleaned up Harmanpreet.
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Shafali notched up her highest ODI total and fell on 87 off 78 balls. Her dismissal brought India captain Harmanpreet into the middle to join Jemimah Rodrigues. This was the partnership that broke Australia’s back in that epic semifinal a couple of nights ago but it didn’t last too long with Rodrigues falling soon thereafter to Ayabonga Khaka thanks to a brilliant catch from South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt.
Earlier, Mandhana and Shafali put up an opening partnership of 104 runs before the former fell to Choe Tryon in the 18th over. Shafali, however, carried on and scored her first ODI half-century in three years. She then had Rodrigues for company, with the latter having to start from scratch after the extreme high of powering India to victory over Australia in the semifinal with an innings of a lifetime. The partnership between Verma and Rodrigues brought 62 runs in as many balls for the second wicket.
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India vs South Africa, 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup Final: Key battles, X-factors and where the match could turn
India Harmanpreet Kaur and South Africa’s Laura Wolvaardt pose with the Women’s World Cup trophy. (Credit: ICC)
After a spectacular result against Australia in the semi-final on Thursday, an upbeat India will play their third ICC Women’s World Cup final, this time at home at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai, hoping to break their trophy drought. The Harmanpreet Kaur-led side had a topsy-turvy league phase run, where they lost three matches in a row before overcoming New Zealand to enter the semis where they knocked out the most successful team in the history of the competition. On Sunday, the hosts will face South Africa, who produced their best all-round performance against England in Guwahati. With a new winner of the tournament guaranteed, here’s a look at the tactical match-up between the two teams. Read more from Shankar Narayan’s preview here.
