India Africa Women’s National Cricket Team vs South Africa Women’s National Cricket Team Final Match: South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt won the toss and elected to bowl first against India in the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025 final at the D.Y. Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on Sunday, November 2, 2025. The toss took place two hours later than scheduled after heavy rain delayed the start of play. No overs were lost. Both teams entered the final with unchanged XIs from their semifinal victories.
Both teams are aiming for their maiden Women’s World Cup title. India entered the final after a commanding win over seven-time champions Australia in the semifinal. Jemimah Rodrigues starred with an unbeaten 127, while captain Harmanpreet Kaur played a crucial supporting role. South Africa, meanwhile, sealed their first-ever Women’s World Cup final appearance after a dominant victory against four-time champions England.
Wolvaardt said her side chose to field due to the overcast conditions and the possibility of dew later in the evening. "Yeah, a bit of rain around, so it just feels like a nice day to chase later with a bit of movement on offer. The surface looks pretty good, and hopefully we can get a bit of swing early on with the rain we’ve had over the last couple of hours. But yeah, looks like a really good wicket overall. Definitely, we haven’t played here before, but I think we’ve been pretty good at adapting throughout the tournament. Hopefully our bowlers can quickly assess conditions and make the most of it today. We’re unchanged today. Definitely. It’s a big day for us, but we’re just really excited about the opportunity. It’s very special playing in front of a crowd like this, so we’ll just look to enjoy every moment. Yeah, we’ll take the positives from that, but it all starts from zero again today. We’ll have to start fresh, but the confidence in the group is high and we’ve been playing some really positive cricket," she said after winning the toss.
India captain Harmanpreet Kaur said she would have bowled first as well but was confident her side could post a strong total. "We would’ve bowled first as well, given the weather and conditions. But yeah, it’s an important game, and somehow it feels like we’re back in rhythm. Hopefully, we can bat freely and put up a strong total on the board. This one’s a little sticky (pitch) because of the rain and the overhead conditions. The outfield is slightly damp too, but I think after five or six overs it should settle down nicely. We’ll try to do the same things again - play with intent, stay positive, and back our plans. We spoke about that game that night, enjoyed the win, and then had two days to recover and reset. Everyone’s back focused now, and we’re really looking forward to this game," Harmanpreet said.
IND-W vs SA-W, ICC Women’s World Cup 2025 Final Playing XIs
India Women (Playing XI): Shafali Verma, Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur(c), Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh(w), Amanjot Kaur, Radha Yadav, Kranti Gaud, Shree Charani, Renuka Singh Thakur
South Africa Women (Playing XI): Laura Wolvaardt(c), Tazmin Brits, Anneke Bosch, Sune Luus, Marizanne Kapp, Sinalo Jafta(w), Annerie Dercksen, Chloe Tryon, Nadine de Klerk, Ayabonga Khaka, Nonkululeko Mlaba
