Women’s World Cup 2025, IND vs SA: India will be aiming to end their long wait for an ICC title when they face a strong South African side on Sunday at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai. While India stunned seven-time champions Australia in the semifinals, the Proteas thrashed England by 125 runs to book their place in the final.
Back in 2005, when Mithali Raj led India out in the final, most of the country barely knew a Women’s World Cup was being played in South Africa. The nation’s cricketing chatter revolved around Greg Chappell’s controversies with the men’s team, while women’s cricket existed quietly in the shadows – in empty stands and forgotten scorecards.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India wasn’t even officially tied to the women’s side then. Cut to 2025 – India are in their third World Cup final, this time at a roaring DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai. The tickets are gone. The stands will be packed, hearts beating as one – a far cry from those silent afternoons two decades ago.
In 2017, against England, they came so close. A few runs short, a few tears too many. That night at Lord’s broke hearts but built belief – belief that Indian women could not just dream, but dare. That defeat became a promise: we will return. Stronger. Louder. Unbreakable.
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Now, in 2025, that promise stands on the brink of fulfilment. A home World Cup final. A sea of tricolours. A captain who wears her scars like medals, leading a generation that refuses to bow.
The 1983 triumph changed Indian men’s cricket forever. Forty-two years later, Harmanpreet Kaur and her warriors have the chance to do the same – to turn pain into pride, struggle into legacy, and 2025 into the year Indian women’s cricket finally takes its rightful place in history’s heart.
MITHALI COULDN’T. CAN HARMANPREET?
In 2005 and 2017, India stood on the brink of glory – only to watch it slip away in heartbreak. In 2005, Karen Rolton’s majestic 107 crushed India by 98 runs, ending a dream before it could truly take flight. But it was 2017 that left a deeper scar. Under the bright lights of Lord’s, Anya Shrubsole’s six-wicket storm tore through Indian hearts, as a chase that once seemed theirs unraveled cruelly.
Needing just 38 runs off 44 balls with seven wickets in hand, victory had felt inevitable – almost written in destiny. Yet, in a cruel twist, it vanished. For Mithali Raj, it was a second heartbreak, heavier than the first. When she bowed out of international cricket after India’s failure to reach the 2022 semi-finals, it was a quiet, aching farewell for a legend who had carried a nation’s hopes for decades.
Now, in 2025, the baton – and the burden – rests with Harmanpreet Kaur. Most likely playing her last ODI World Cup, the fire still burns fierce in her eyes. The 2009 World Cup in Australia marked her beginning; the 2025 edition could define her legacy.
For the first time, she leads India on the grandest stage – and maybe, just maybe, destiny will finally smile. On Super Sunday, Harmanpreet has the chance to turn years of pain into redemption – to lift not just a trophy, but the weight of generations who dared to dream.
END OF 20-YEAR-LONG WAIT?
As India walk into the final, a familiar ghost lingers – they haven’t beaten South Africa in an ODI World Cup since 2005. Back then, India ruled their first three meetings. Since then, the Proteas have struck back with three wins of their own, each one a quiet reminder of unfinished business. In Vizag earlier this tournament, India were within touching distance before Nadine de Klerk’s fearless flourish snatched the game away.
But on this grand stage, the past counts for nothing. When the first ball is bowled, it all begins again – from zero. For South Africa, it’s another chance to chase history. For India, it’s the chance to rewrite theirs.
The pressure will weigh heavy on both sides – neither has ever lifted the trophy in a world long ruled by Australia and England. But perhaps the burden is heaviest on South Africa, stepping into their maiden World Cup final.
For India, a win on Sunday would wash away years of near-misses and heartbreaks. It would turn pain into pride, doubt into destiny. Last year, the men’s team rose from the edge of defeat to claim T20 World Cup glory. Now, it’s the women’s turn – to summon that same spirit, to fight till the final breath, and to make the noise of a billion hearts echo through the night.
NO BIGGER MOTIVATION
For Harmanpreet Kaur, there’s no need for extra motivation – none could be bigger than playing a World Cup final in front of a roaring home crowd. This is the stage every cricketer dreams of, and for her, it’s deeply personal. India’s journey to this point has been anything but smooth. After three consecutive defeats, the team faced scathing criticism and the looming threat of an early exit. But instead of crumbling, they chose to rise.
They shut out the noise, tightened their bond, and rediscovered their fight. And when the moment demanded resilience, they delivered in style. The five-wicket win over Australia in Navi Mumbai – built on Jemimah Rodrigues’ stirring century – wasn’t just a victory; it was a statement. A reminder that this team thrives under fire, and that belief, once reignited, can be unstoppable.
“Well, I think when you are at a stage like this, playing the final match of the World Cup, I don’t think there can be a bigger motivation than this. The entire team is fully charged up. They are standing with each other and are giving each other prayers and blessings,” Harmanpreet said in the press-conference.
“I think that shows how much this team is with each other and how ready we are for this match. Now it’s only about giving your best, strategy and everything. It’s not that we have reached the final and we have to do all this today. We have been doing this from last two years,” Harmanpreet added.
Now, as Harmanpreet leads her side into the biggest game of their lives, the motivation isn’t revenge or redemption — it’s pride. Pride in how far they’ve come, and belief that this time, they can go all the way.
THIRD TIME LUCKY FOR PROTEAS?
While the final carries enormous weight for India, it means just as much — perhaps even more – for South Africa. This will be their third successive ICC final. In 2023, Australia denied them the joy of lifting the T20 World Cup in front of their home crowd. A year later, in 2024, New Zealand crushed their hopes in Dubai. On both occasions, Laura Wolvaardt stood there – calm, unshaken, yet heartbroken.
In the ongoing World Cup, Wolvaardt has been the picture of composure once again. South Africa began their campaign with a 10-wicket drubbing at the hands of England, but responded in style with five straight wins.
They stumbled against Australia in their final league game – only to redeem themselves spectacularly with a 125-run win over the same England in Guwahati, powered by Wolvaardt’s sublime 169 and Marizanne Kapp’s fiery five-wicket haul.
Now, as they face India in the biggest game of them all, the question remains — can the Proteas carry that confidence into the final and finally script their fairytale? Only time will tell.
MIND GAMES?
Before the semifinal, Laura Wolvaardt had cheekily remarked that England would feel the heat in a knockout game – and she was right. England buckled under pressure and went down without a fight. Now, on the eve of the World Cup final, Wolvaardt has turned her attention to India, firing the first shot in what’s shaping up to be a battle of nerves as much as skill.
This time, her words carry a familiar edge. She believes India have everything to lose – playing in front of a packed home crowd, burdened by the weight of expectation. It’s a calculated move, a classic dose of pre-match mind games aimed at shifting the pressure back onto the hosts.
“It’s going to be a very exciting opportunity but at the same time I think it puts a lot of pressure on them as well. They have the whole country behind them and are sort of expected to win. I guess so. Yeah, I think it sort of plays in our favour hopefully,” Wolvaardt said.
If the recent past has shown anything, it’s that Harmanpreet’s India doesn’t wilt under noise – they feed off it. And come Sunday, those words might just fuel the fire burning within the Indian camp.
The chance to win a World Cup on home soil doesn’t come often – and India know it. Sunday’s victory, if it comes, won’t just be another trophy in the cabinet; it could be a moment that reshapes the future. A win in front of their own people could light a thousand dreams — in dusty maidans, narrow lanes, and small towns where young girls watch with wide eyes and dare to believe.
This isn’t just about glory; it’s about legacy. A triumph on Sunday could become the turning point – the moment when women’s cricket in India stops chasing recognition and starts commanding it. When the next generation doesn’t just play the game, but owns it.
