Puri, Nov 3 (NationPress) Padma Shri awardee and celebrated sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik unveiled a stunning sand sculpture on Puri Beach to honor the Indian women’s cricket team following their historic triumph in the 2025 World Cup.

The visually striking piece features the message “Congrats! Bharat Ki Nari Shakti,” highlighting the strength, resolve, and spirit of Indian women. This sand sculpture includes a remarkable 6-foot-long bat crafted from five tons of sand, adorned with numerous cricket balls, representing the dedication, teamwork, and perseverance of the victorious players.

In an interview with IANS, Sudarsan Pattnaik expressed, “The remarkable journey of India’s women’s cricket team, culminating in their Cricket World Cup victory, has showcased the power of India’s Nari Shakti. Their performance in the 2025 ICC Women’s World Cup has brought national pride. As an artist, I pay tribute to our team through my creation, using various cricket balls to craft this bat-and-ball sculpture to celebrate our Indian team.”

On Sunday night, a unified team effort propelled India to its inaugural Women’s World Cup title, defeating South Africa by 52 runs in the final at DY Patil Stadium.

The turning point in the match came with the dismissal of South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt in the 42nd over, followed by the quick dismissal of Chloe Tryon (9) in the same over, leaving the visitors in a precarious position needing 78 runs off 48 balls with eight wickets down.

Despite a late fight from Nadine de Klerk, India successfully bowled out South Africa for 246 runs in just 45.3 overs, achieving a historic victory before a passionate home crowd.

For India, Deepti Sharma led the bowling attack with impressive figures of 5 for 39, while Shafali Verma made crucial contributions with two wickets.

Shafali Verma played a pivotal role in the match, claiming two wickets in quick succession to shift momentum toward India. She dismissed Sune Luus in her first over and later took out the dangerous Marizanne Kapp, further tightening India’s grip on the game before Sinalo Jafta fell as the fifth wicket.

India's breakthrough moment occurred when Tazmin Brits was run out by an impressive direct hit from Amanjot Kaur at the non-striker’s end. Brits and Wolvaardt had formed an explosive opening partnership, scoring fifty runs during the powerplay, giving South Africa a solid start to their chase.

Sree Charani quickly made her mark too, trapping Anneke Bosch LBW in her opening over. Despite early setbacks, Wolvaardt maintained her exceptional form, scoring her 39th ODI fifty, and with Luus, navigated South Africa past the 100-run mark, keeping their hopes alive.

However, Kaur's decision to bring Verma into the attack proved pivotal — the young all-rounder’s two quick strikes shifted the momentum decisively back to India.

Earlier, India set a challenging total of 298/7 in their first innings, marking the second-highest score ever in a Women’s ODI World Cup final. A strong opening partnership of 100 runs between Smriti Mandhana (45) and Shafali Verma laid a solid foundation. At 223 for 3, India seemed poised for a massive total before South Africa fought back to restrict them to just under 300.

Shafali's impressive innings of 87, along with Deepti Sharma’sRicha Ghosh added a brisk 34, injecting late momentum.

Among the South African bowlers, Ayabonga Khaka stood out with figures of 3 for 58, while Nonkululeko Mlaba, Nadine de Klerk, and Chloe Tryon each claimed a wicket.