Richa-Nadine: The sting in the tail of the two finalists

The last time India and South Africa met in the World Cup in Visakhapatnam in the league phase, the contest was settled by two No.8s. Nadine de Klerk’s spectacular 84* overpowered Richa Ghosh’s counterattacking 94.

- Rasesh Mandani

It is not always in a major ODI competition that the lower-middle order has a big role to play. It’s been that sort of a tournament where, although it has been mostly high scoring, the batting depth of the fancied teams has been truly tested.

Expect it to be no different when the two best teams out of eight after 32 days and 30 face-off clash to be crowned first-time World Cup winners.

India openers Smriti Mandhana and Pratika Rawal (out injured) have scored big while Laura Wolvaardt has done the heavy lifting for South Africa. But not without de Klerk and Ghosh’s crucial counterpunching would the teams have made it to the final.

There are parallels to be drawn in the career of the two allrounders — de Klerk a medium-pacer who can bat, and Ghosh a stumper who has become India’s best bet with power-hitting prowess.