South Africa all-rounder Nadine de Klerk pulled off a sharp one-handed catch to dismiss Amanjot Kaur but accidentally struck Deepti Sharma on the back of the head in the process. Amanjot misread a slower ball on a back-of-length line outside off and chipped it tamely to de Klerk’s right. Stretching out her right hand, de Klerk snatched a brilliant catch while narrowly avoiding heavy hit on Deepti at the non-striker’s end.
India eyes a strong finish after a brisk start
Team India is pushing to post a commanding total in the 2025 Women’s World Cup final despite losing half their side within 300 runs. After a solid platform early on, Harmanpreet Kaur and Deepti Sharma steadied the innings following a quick cluster of wickets in the middle overs. Their partnership offered brief stability before Nonkululeko Mlaba broke through in the 39th over, bowling Harmanpreet to tilt the momentum South Africa’s way.
Earlier, India rode on a flying start from Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana, who stitched a 104-run opening stand. Shafali top-scored with a fluent 87 off 78 balls her highest ODI score before falling just short of a century. Mandhana departed for a well-made 52, undone by a clever delivery from Chloe Tryon in the 18th over.
Jemimah Rodrigues joined Harmanpreet to rebuild but her stay was brief, as Ayabonga Khaka struck again, with South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt pulling off a stunning catch. Shafali’s return to form, marked by her first ODI fifty in three years, remains the highlight of India’s innings so far as they look to set a daunting target for South Africa.
