De Klerk and Wolvaardt Shine as Richa-Sneh Heroics Fall Short: IND vs SA Women’s World Cup 2025

South Africa ended its five-match losing streak against India with an exhilarating three-wicket victory in the Women’s ODI World Cup held in Visakhapatnam on Thursday. Chasing a target of 252, skipper Laura Wolvaardt and Chloe Tryon stabilized the innings, and Nadine de Klerk’s late-game heroics secured the win, breaking India’s unbeaten run.

Earlier in the match, Richa Ghosh’s courageous 77-ball 94 helped India recover from a top-order collapse against South Africa’s left-arm spin, leading the Women in Blue to a total of 251.

Here are the key highlights from the India vs South Africa match at the Women’s ODI World Cup 2025:

Top-order struggles

For the third consecutive match, the Indian top order struggled to make a significant contribution. Pratika Rawal started aggressively, whereas Smriti Mandhana took some time to settle. India managed 55 runs during the PowerPlay before Mandhana was dismissed by Nonkululeko Mlaba. Mlaba tightened South Africa’s hold by bowling out Harleen Deol soon after. Pratika’s promising innings ended at 37, and Jemimah Rodrigues was out for a duck. Captain Harmanpreet Kaur also fell quickly, continuing the trend of India’s recent batting woes.

Richa’s pressure performance

Richa Ghosh entered the fray at a precarious 102 for six. After regaining form against Pakistan, she now faced a tougher challenge from South Africa’s disciplined bowling attack. It took her seven balls to score her first run, with India’s first boundary coming after 86 balls. She played carefully against the spinners, rotating the strike with Amanjot Kaur to navigate through their spells. When the pacers returned, Richa accelerated her scoring, crafting a crucial innings of 77 off 94 balls to elevate India to a competitive total.

Early breakthroughs

South Africa’s opening duo is its strong suit, but Kranti Goud had other ideas. Tazmin Brits, after a century against New Zealand, was caught for a duck due to Goud’s exceptional catch off her own bowling. Four wickets fell for just 52 runs, putting South Africa in a tight spot. However, experienced players Wolvaardt and Tryon started to narrow down the target. Goud bowled out Wolvaardt, but Tryon continued scoring with the assistance of de Klerk.

The final moments

The game seemed undecided until the 47th over. With Tryon back in the pavilion and Ayabonga Khaka at the crease, South Africa’s lower-order needed to pull off a dramatic finish. With 41 required from the last 24 balls, Harmanpreet handed the ball to Goud, and de Klerk seized the moment. She hit two sixes and a four in her first three legal balls, tipping the scales in South Africa’s favor. Boundaries off Deepti Sharma’s next over left 12 required from 12 balls. De Klerk sealed the victory in style by hitting two more sixes off Amanjot Kaur’s bowling.

Published on Oct 10, 2025