Navi Mumbai: The women in blue made a solid start in the ICC Women’s World Cup final against South Africa at the D Y Patil Stadium here on Sunday after the game was delayed by two hours due to rain and a wet outfield.
Asked to bat first after South African captain Laura Wolvaardt won the toss, India reached 58 for no loss in 8 overs. Shafali Verma got off to a flier and hit five boundaries to be unbeaten on 27 off 21 balls. Run-machine Smriti Mandhana caught up after a cautious start and was on 23 off 27 balls, with four boundaries.
Despite the late start, there has been no reduction of overs, and the final will be a 50 overs-a-side affair, weather permitting.
There is a reserve day’s provision in case the match can’t be completed today. Like in men’s ODIs, a minimum of 20 overs per side needs to be completed to get a result.
If the match is washed out completely, and a result can’t be obtained on both Sunday and Monday, India and South Africa will be declared joint winners of the 2025 ICC Women’s ODI World Cup.
Neither India nor South Africa has won the coveted trophy before.
