India’s victory over South Africa in the Women’s World Cup final sparked celebrations on social media. Former India captain Virat Kohli shared a heartfelt message congratulating the team after winning their maiden ODI World Cup title at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on Sunday.
India won the Women’s World Cup with a 52-run win over South Africa. Shafali Verma and Deepti Sharma gave all-round performance in the summit clash. India joined the elite group of World Cup winners and became the fourth team to lift the trophy after Australia, England and New Zealand.
Shafali Verma was chosen player of the match in the World Cup final
India entered the tournament without being seen as one of the favourites, and their chances looked even slimmer after three consecutive defeats. The team reached the semi-finals by defeating T20 champions New Zealand and then reached the finals by defeating seven-time winners Australia.
In the title match, Shafali Verma scored 87 runs on 78 balls, which included seven fours and two sixes. Shafali set the tone with a 104-run partnership with Smriti Mandhana, who scored 45 off 58 balls. India scored 298/7 in 50 overs, the second highest score in Women’s World Cup history.
Shafali and Deepti shared seven wickets with the ball. Deepti took five wickets, as South Africa were bowled out for 246 in 45.3 overs. Shafali was adjudged ‘Player of the Match’ while Deepti was given the ‘Player of the Tournament’ award.
This will inspire generations of girls to take up sports – Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli shared an emotional message on Instagram after India’s Women’s World Cup win. He expressed immense pride in the team’s achievement and said that this win will inspire countless young girls across India to play cricket.
Virat Kohli wrote, “The girls have created history and as an Indian I couldn’t be more proud to see so many years of hard work finally coming to fruition. They deserve all the praise and a big congratulations to Harman and the entire team for achieving this historic feat.”
Virat Kohli said, “Congratulations to the entire team and management for the work done behind the scenes. Well done India. Enjoy this moment to the fullest. This will inspire generations of girls in our country to take up the game. Jai Hind.”
We wanted to break the barrier – Harmanpreet Kaur
India had waited for the ICC Trophy for almost two decades. After falling short in the 2005 and 2017 ODI World Cup finals as well as the 2020 T20 World Cup title clash, the women’s team finally broke the cycle of heartbreak under the lights of the DY Patil Stadium.
During the post-match presentation, Harmanpreet Kaur said that India’s World Cup win is just the beginning for the team. Kaur said the group is committed to making winning a habit as they look to major tournaments in the coming years.
“This is the beginning, we wanted to break the barrier, and now our next plan is to make it a habit. We have been waiting for this moment; now the moment has come. Next year there is the World Cup and then the Champions Trophy, so many big events coming up and we just want to improve every day, just give our best.” Kaur said.
Also Read: Mitchell Owen gets hit mid-pitch as Varun Chakravarthy bowls him for a golden duck