Navi Mumbai: As the final showdown of the India vs South Africa Womens World Cup is underway at Navi Mumbai's DY Patil Stadium, netizens have taken to X to share their point of view on the ongoing match. Despite a brief rain delay at the start, the match resumed with South Africa winning the toss and opting to bowl first. India, led by Harmanpreet Kaur, put up an impressive total of 298 runs for the loss of seven wickets in 50 overs.
Opener Shafali Verma was the star of the innings, smashing a brilliant 87 off 78 balls, which included seven boundaries and two sixes while Smriti Mandhana contributed a steady 45 off 58 balls, setting a solid foundation for the team. Jemimah Rodrigues chipped in with 24 off 37, while captain Harmanpreet Kaur couldn’t make a major impact and fell for 20 off 29.
In the later stages, Deepti Sharma played a crucial knock of 58 off 58 balls while Richa Ghosh’s quickfire 34 off 24 balls added momentum to the total. Amanjot Kaur scored 12 off 14 balls, and Radha Yadav scored not out at 3.
Netizens' Reaction to India's Innings
A user wrote, "Shafali Verma came out blazing in the World Cup final fearless, fiery, and full of intent, for sure a true champion’s knock when it mattered the most"
One user also criticised Deepti Sharma for her 58 off 58 balls and missing out of the achievable runs. He said, "If India lose the match today, then Deepti Sharma should be held accountable for her selfish approach in the final 10 overs".
Another said, "The score should have been at least 330. Deepti Sharma is a disappointment…scoring 58 off 58 during the slog overs. What was their game plan? Hope it’s not the repeat of the men’s World Cup final!"
Some even questioned the team’s batting order decisions and said, "Why Richa Ghosh the best hitter of this team is at number 7 and left to utilize only 7 over of the innings?"
Some also pointed out that the team should have scored more runs while some maintained optimism about India’s chances to lift the cup.
A user added, "No denying India are a few runs short - But it’s the final - A good first ten overs and an early wicket of Wolvaardt can make up for it. It’s Fielding and catching that will be a big, big factor." "Short by 30-40 runs..," another noted.
Some also expressed hope on Shree Charani to be the key in the middle overs as South Africa bats deep till no. 9.
