India defeated South Africa by 52 runs in the final of the Women’s World Cup 2025.
The ICC Women's World Cup 2025 ended on Sunday (November 2), with hosts India clinching the coveted title with a comprehensive 52-run victory over South Africa at the DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai.
Asked to bat first, the Women in Blue posted 298/7 on the board, powered by Shafali Verma’s 87, Deepti Sharma’s 58, and vital contributions from Smriti Mandhana (45) and Richa Ghosh (34).
During the chase, South Africa fought hard on the back of skipper Laura Wolvaardt’s superb 101, but a sensational spell from Deepti (5/39) helped India bowl out the opposition for 246 in 45.3 overs.
After the historic triumph, India head coach Amol Muzumdar’s celebration caught everyone’s attention. Muzumdar drew inspiration from batting superstar Rohit Sharma as he planted the India’s national flag on the turf of DY Patil Stadium.
Rohit had famously planted the tricolor on the turf of Kensington Oval in Barbados after leading the Indian men’s team to T20 World Cup glory last year. Coincidentally, the Men in Blue had defeated South Africa in the final of the T20 World Cup 2024.
One of the giants of Indian domestic cricket in the 1990s, Amol Muzumdar cruelly missed out on playing international cricket, only because India’s batting order was stacked with legendary names like Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, and Sourav Ganguly.
While Muzumdar might still be carrying the pain of not being able to play for the country, Sunday’s achievement puts him in a rare category of India coaches to have won a World Cup.
“It has not sunk in yet, but probably as the days go by, it will sink in. But it’s a surreal feeling," Muzumdar said while sharing his feelings about winning the tournament.
“After the catch (that Harmanpreet took to dismiss final batter Nadine de Klerk), I don’t know what happened. The next five minutes were a blur. I was here only (in the dugout). I was looking up in the dugout. I was looking up. I didn’t know what (had) happened," he added.