- The recently concluded 50-over ICC Women’s World Cup has new champions. Team India has been deservedly crowned the champions after defeating South Africa in the finals played at DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai by 52 runs. The start of the finals was delayed for two hours owing to rain and a wet outfield. Asked to bat, Team India scored a competitive 298/7 in the allotted 50 overs. Opening batter Shafali Verma, who was not even considered to be in the reserves for the marquee event, received a call-up right before the semifinals, top scored with an attacking 87 runs studded with 7 boundaries and 2 sixers. Vice Captain and consistent Smrithi Mandhanacontributed 45 at the top. Deepti Sharma’s run-a-ball 58 proved to be a crucial inning as well.
PC: Mint
- As did handy contributions from Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh, and captain Harmanpreet Kaur, propelling Team India’s score to 298. Chasing a stiff target, South African opener and captain Laura Wolvaardt scored a scintillating 101, but others could not step up to ensure the team crossed the finishing line. Indian bowling was led by Deepti Sharma, who bagged a five-fer to derail the South African chase, helping the home team romp home in style. Deepti Sharma deservedly won the player of the series award for scoring 215 runs and bagging 22 wickets in the tournament. Shafali Verma was crowned the player of the match for her match-defining 87 runsand 2 wickets. And what a roller-coaster ride it has been for Harman-led Team India during the tournament. Wow!
PC: DailyAwaz
- Mind you, Team India lost three matches on the trot to Australia, England, and South Africa before convincingly beating New Zealand to enter the semifinals as the last team. The spectacular win in the semifinals against multiple champions Australia must have provided a great fillip to the team’s campaign to go all-out against the South Africans in the finals. Yes, the way Jemimah batted during the chase against Australia in the semifinals, anchoring with an undefeated century, must have boosted the morale of the entire team to an altogether new level. Thus, the confidence and the momentum were on the Indian side, which manifested itself in the way the hosts went about creating history on the day it mattered most.
PC: India Today
- What does it entail for women’s cricket in India with such an epochal victory in the finals? Will the tide turn around like it occurred when the men’s team won the 1983 Prudential World Cup in England, when Kapil Dev lifted the trophy? That iconic moment completely altered the way cricket was being viewed till then. The recent World Cup witnessed a huge following around the country, with most of the stadiums filling up to the brim. It is palpable that women’s cricket has shaped up over the years, with skills, aesthetics, power-hitting, athleticism, and professionalism reaching a notch higher. Harmanpreet and her team deserve a huge round of applause for lifting the coveted cup. More wannabe /girls should find these idols as their inspiration from here on.
