Navi Mumbai, Nov 3 (NationPress) South Africa's captain Laura Wolvaardt expressed pride in her team's journey to the final, despite her century being overshadowed by their defeat to India in the Women's World Cup final held at DY Patil Stadium on Sunday night.

India secured their first Women's World Cup title by defeating South Africa by 52 runs. While chasing a target of 299, Wolvaardt (101) delivered an outstanding performance, but her teammates struggled as wickets fell consistently. Deepti Sharma emerged as the star bowler, achieving remarkable figures of 5/39, while Shafali Verma and Sree Charani contributed with crucial wickets to clinch a historic victory for India.

“It’s disappointing to end up on the losing side today, but I believe we will definitely learn and grow as a team. We faced some tough games, but we managed to overcome those challenges. Throughout this tournament, we saw so many players rising to the occasion. I’m incredibly proud of the resilience we demonstrated to reach the final,” said the Proteas captain during the post-match presentation.

“I might not have had my best season leading up to the World Cup, and my start in this tournament wasn’t ideal either. Perhaps I was overthinking things in the beginning. I aimed to separate my roles as captain and batsman, which allowed me to play more freely towards the end. We were optimistic at the start, but I believe we made the right decisions. The wicket had some assistance, and although we were in the chase for a long time, we lost crucial wickets at vital moments. Their bowling towards the end was exceptional. We’ve been effective at finishing innings throughout the tournament,” she reflected.

“I believe that 300 runs was a fair target on that wicket, and we genuinely thought we could chase it down. Especially with our initial bowling, but their batting was excellent too. The way she plays is aggressive and fearless, and when it clicks like today, she can be devastating. She has been phenomenal across many editions of this tournament. It’s unfortunate that this may be her last one. The team was eager to win it for her, as she has been a significant figure in South African cricket - akin to having two players in one. We are truly fortunate to have her on our side,” she added.

In the first innings, India amassed 298/7 against South Africa, marking the second-highest score in a Women's ODI World Cup final. After posting a solid 100-run opening partnership, India found themselves well-positioned at 223/3 before South Africa made a comeback to restrict them under 300.

Shafali Verma was a key contributor with an impressive 87, while Deepti Sharma added 58 to stabilize the innings in the final overs. Richa Ghosh also made a notable contribution with a quick-fire 34 to provide India with late momentum.

For South Africa, Ayabonga Khaka was the standout bowler with figures of 3/58, while Nonkululeko Mlaba, Nadine de Klerk, and Chloe Tryon each claimed a wicket.