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A game filled with drama, the India vs South Africa clash in the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 was a blockbuster last-over thriller. Both teams took the game deep, and South Africa registered a victory by 3 wickets. Nadine De Klerk stole the show and the game from the jaws of the Indian team.
The Rich Ghosh Show
After South Africa won the toss and opted to bowl first, the Indian team started well but then started to collapse. This collapse needed a hero, and Richa Ghosh did exactly that. Richa scored 94(77), falling just 6 runs short of a World Cup 100. Sneh Rana held the other end so that Richa could take the strike and score runs by scoring 33 (24). This partnership and Richa’s power hitting took India’s final score to 251 all out in 50 overs.
The Proteas Held Their Nerves
When South Africa came to chase down 251, India struck early wickets. Kranti Gaud, with an exceptional catch, got the wicket of dangerous Tazmin Brits on 0, who scored 100 against New Zealand in their previous game. South Africa could only score 34 runs and lost 2 wickets in the powerplay. Captain Laura Wolvaardt fought hard and was all in to finish the game, but unfortunately lost her wicket to Gaud on 70(111).
The partnership between South African batters was the reason they were able to hold on to the game. The last partnership between Nadine De Klerk and Ayabonga Khaka was truly exceptional, 41 runs in just 18 balls. Nadine De Klerk decided to give her best score performance in ODI when her team required it the most; she, in a true sense, played a match-winning knock by scoring 84(54)*.
The Points Table and India’s Improvement
After this dramatic clash points table stands at a very interesting point where India and South Africa both stand with 4 points. India’s next game is against Australia, and before getting into that game, there are so many areas that need focus and improvement because Australia is a world-class competitor.
India’s top order has not performed up to the mark. There seems to be a sense of dependency on lower order, especially on Richa Ghosh and Sneh Rana. The bowling attack appears to be more reliant on spinners, with Gaud being the only promising pacer who had a tough time bowling the death over in this game against South Africa. If India does not improve in these areas, it will become an easy target for Australians.
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