Udaipur, Nov 03, 2025: It didn’t happen in the 2005 final, and it didn’t happen in 2017. But every “not happened” has an end. You just have to keep fighting and never give up. Success doesn’t come in a day, but one day, it surely comes. India defeated South Africa in the ODI World Cup final in Navi Mumbai. Harmanpreet Kaur’s team won the World Cup by 52 runs. This is the first time the Women in Blue have lifted the World Cup trophy.

Mumbai is called the city of dreams — and how many dreams have come true here! On April 2, 2011, at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s India lifted the ODI World Cup. Again, in 2023, Rohit Sharma’s dream was shattered in the same month of November. That defeat at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad still hurts the hearts of millions.

But every November brings new hope. One November 19 is replaced by another — and this time, it’s a day to remember, just like April 2. What happened today will be written in golden letters in Indian cricket history.

India end the wait — Women in Blue crowned World Champions

South African captain Laura Wolvaardt won the toss and chose to field first. Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma started the innings slowly on a rain-soaked Mumbai pitch. Soon, they began to accelerate and built a 100-run partnership in 18 overs. Then came the first setback — Smriti (45) was caught by the wicketkeeper off Chloe Tryon.

Shafali, however, kept India’s innings going. She got a lifeline after being dropped midway but continued to bat brilliantly. Despite struggling with a hamstring injury, she scored 87 runs off 78 balls — a brave and powerful innings from the “Haryana ki chhori.”

The semi-final star Jemimah Rodrigues (24) couldn’t score much, and captain Harmanpreet Kaur (20) also failed to make an impact. Richa Ghosh, though, brought momentum back to India’s innings with a quick 34 off 24 balls. Deepti Sharma played a steady knock and scored a half-century, though she avoided taking big risks. There were questions about why Richa was sent to bat at number 7. India ended their innings at 298 runs, which could have been 25–30 runs higher.

Laura’s fight and India’s glory

That small gap in runs could have made a difference — especially with a batter like Laura Wolvaardt on the other side. She had been in superb form throughout the tournament and continued that in the final, scoring another brilliant century. After shining against England in the semi-final, she repeated her heroics here. From Renuka Singh to Shreyanka Patil, no Indian bowler could trouble her early on.

South Africa got their first blow when opener Tazmin Brits (23) was run out. Soon after, Shreyanka dismissed Anneke Bosch (0). But Laura, along with Sune Luus, kept pushing South Africa forward. Then Harmanpreet made a bold move — she brought Shafali into the attack. The young star, who had shone with the bat, turned the match with the ball. She took two crucial wickets — first Luus, then the dangerous Marizanne Kapp.

Even then, South Africa kept fighting. Dercksen hit hard, scoring 17 runs in an over from Radha Yadav. Laura reached her century, and the match seemed to be slipping away from India. But the turning point came through Deepti Sharma and Amanjot Kaur. Deepti dismissed Dercksen (35), and soon after, Laura lofted a shot high into the air. Amanjot fumbled twice but finally caught it one-handed — a moment that stole the hearts of 1.4 billion Indians.

With Laura (101) gone, South Africa had no one left to stop India’s march to victory. Deepti Sharma finished with a five-wicket haul along with her half-century, sealing her place as the hero of the night.

Smriti, Shafali, Harmanpreet, and Deepti — together, they brought home the long-awaited glory. India ended their November heartbreak with World Cup victory and lifted the curse once and for all.

• India: 298/7 (Shafali 87, Deepti 58, Khaka 58/3)
• South Africa: 246/10 (Lora 101, Derksen 35, Deepti 39/5)
• India win by 52 runs to become World Champions