When India faces South Africa in the final of the ongoing ICC Women’s World Cup 2025, it will be eyeing a historic win. The much-awaited match is scheduled to take place on Sunday (November 2) at the Dr. DY Patil Sports Academy, Navi Mumbai.
The Women in Blue have qualified for the final after a historic win over defending champions Australia in the semi-finals. India faced a tough challenge after the seven-time world champions posted a mammoth score of 338 runs.
Only once in a Women’s World Cup semi-final or final has a team chased a target of more than 200. The odds were stacked against Harmanpreet Kaur and her teammates. However, the hosts put in a brilliant batting display to chase down the target inside 49 overs.
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Jemimah Rodrigues was brilliant with the bat, scoring 127 not out, while Harmanpreet scored 89, helping India achieve its highest total in women’s ODIs.
Now that India have their sights set on their maiden World Cup, we are taking a look at India’s playing XI for the upcoming final against South Africa:
India Women Playing XI vs South Africa – Final, ICC Women’s World Cup 2025:
Openers: Shafali Verma, Smriti Mandhana
Shefali Verma and Smriti Mandhana are ready to open the innings in the final and the responsibility of giving the team a good start with the bat will be on them.
Verma played his first match in the ongoing World Cup when he was named in the playing eleven for the semi-final clash against Australia.
She was not part of the original squad and was named as a replacement for Pratika Raval, who suffered an ankle injury. Verma scored 10 runs against Australia and he will be eyeing a big score in the final.
Mandhana will be one of the most important players and will be desperate to perform well with the bat.
The southpaw has been looking in good form in recent times and would like to score big. In her last five matches, Mandhana has scored two half-centuries and one century.
Middle-order batsmen and all-rounders: Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Amanjot Kaur, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh (w).
Jemimah Rodrigues was the star performer for India in their historic win over Australia. He scored an unbeaten 127 runs to help India achieve the target of 338 runs. With her form, Jemima would like to score big again.
Captain Harmanpreet Kaur is just one win away from creating history. She has an opportunity to become the first national captain to lead the team to World Cup glory.
He led the team by scoring 89 runs in the semi-finals and will be eyeing a similar performance in the title decider.
Amanjot Kaur scored an unbeaten 15 off just 8 balls to help India achieve the target easily in the end. With the ball, he conceded 51 runs in 8 overs and took 1 wicket.
Deepti Sharma, who is the leading wicket-taker in the ongoing tournament, did not perform well with bat or ball in the semi-finals. With the ball, he conceded 73 runs in 9.5 overs while taking 2 wickets before conceding 24 runs.
Richa Ghosh played an important role with the bat in the last game. He hit two sixes and as many fours to score 26 runs in just 16 balls. The last time the Women in Blue faced South Africa in the ongoing tournament, Richa scored 94 and she will be looking to make a big impact again.
Bowlers: Radha Yadav, Kranti Gaur, Shree Charani, Renuka Singh Thakur
There are likely to be two specialist fast bowlers and two spinners in the playing eleven. Renuka Singh Thakur and Kranti Gaur are set to lead the pace attack, while Radha Yadav and Sri Charani will be the two spinners.
The bowlers’ performance against Australia was forgettable and they will be eyeing a better performance in the final.
