India's spirited effort with the bat and ball went in vain as South Africa Women clinched a thrilling three-wicket win in their ICC Women's World Cup 2025 clash at the Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA
Stadium, Visakhapatnam, on Thursday.
Despite Richa Ghosh's explosive 94 and Sneh Rana's impactful all-round performance, India fell short in defending 251 as Nadine de Klerk's stunning unbeaten 84 powered South Africa home in the penultimate over.
Opting to bat first after South Africa won the toss and chose to field, India struggled for momentum early on. Openers Pratika Rawal (37) and Smriti Mandhana (23) provided a cautious start, but wickets tumbled in clusters once the Proteas spinners were introduced. Harmanpreet Kaur, Jemimah Rodrigues, and Deepti Sharma all fell cheaply, leaving India reeling at 102 for 6 by the 26th over.
The innings was revived by Richa Ghosh, who played a counter-attacking knock of 94 from just 77 balls, smashing 11 fours and four sixes. Her powerful strokeplay lifted India from a precarious position, well supported by Sneh Rana's quickfire 33 off 24 balls. The pair added crucial lower-order runs before India were bowled out for 251 in 49.5 overs. Chloe Tryon led South Africa's bowling with 3 for 32, while Marizanne Kapp and Nonkululeko Mlaba took two wickets apiece.
India struck early in defense as debutant Kranti Gaud removed both Tazmin Brits and Laura Wolvaardt's opening partner Sune Luus cheaply. Wolvaardt, however, anchored the innings with a composed 70, holding one end steady while wickets kept tumbling. When South Africa slumped to 81 for 5, India looked firmly in control.
But the game turned dramatically with the arrival of Chloe Tryon (49) and Nadine de Klerk, who stitched together a match-changing partnership. De Klerk unleashed a breathtaking counter-attack, striking eight fours and five sixes in her 54-ball 84 not out. Despite Rana and Charani picking up key wickets, India's bowlers couldn't contain the late surge as South Africa reached the target with 7 balls to spare.
