Harmanpreet & Co create history

WOMEN'S WORLD CUP Wolvaardt ton goes in vain as Deepti-led attack restricts Proteas to 246

- Haridev Pushparaj

When Harmanpreet Kaur latched onto the catch to dismiss Nadine De Klerk off Deepti Sharma's bowling, India created history by clinching their first ever Women's ODI World Cup title beating South Africa by 52 runs in an enticing final at the DY Patil Stadium, here on Sunday.

In pursuit of a tricky 299, South Africa were barely in the game except for the brilliance of skipper Laura Wolvaardt, who slammed a fine hundred although in vain, as they were bowled out for 246 in 45.3 overs.

Deepti Sharma and Shafali Verma's all-round efforts were the highlights for India as the former scalped 5/39 and scored 58 while the latter picked two wickets and struck a superb 87 while India batted and scored 298/7 in 50 overs.

Chasing a challenging 299 for victory, South Africa crumbled under the pressure of a World Cup final against an Indian team determined more than ever to undo and erase the pain and agony of the previous two World Cup final defeats in 2017 and 2020 and present the Cup to the nation.