Navi Mumbai: India’s head coach Amol Muzumdar was a proud man as India lifted their maiden Women’s World Cup title, defeating South Africa in a thrilling final. Beaming with pride, Muzumdar said the victory will have a lasting impact on Indian cricket for generations to come.
“Absolutely proud. I don’t know, it has not yet sunk in. Unbelievable achievement and they deserve every credit and everything that will follow from here. They have worked terribly hard. They have done every Indian proud,” said Muzumdar after the win.
Although Muzumdar could not wear Indian colours himself, he led from the dugout as the head coach of his nation.
India, who had faced ups and downs in the tournament, turned those lessons into their biggest strength when it mattered the most. Muzumdar lauded the team’s resilience through tough phases.
“We did not look at those losses as losses, we looked at them as matches we couldn’t get over the line. We dominated majority of those games, and just thought there were some hiccups. We stayed alive in the tournament and here we are, as world champions. I know for a fact that they have worked extremely hard for this, and it is a watershed moment for Indian cricket,” he added.
Opener Shafali Verma rose to the occasion, playing a crucial knock of 87 off 78 balls and later chipping in with 2/32 to dismantle South Africa’s middle order. Muzumdar couldn’t stop praising the young star.
“Magical. Turns up in the semi final. In the final, packed ground, turns up with a magical innings, and then with the ball. That was one thing we spoke a lot about in the dressing room. Fielding and fitness was something we spoke about. They just turned it up on this day in the World Cup final – I could not have asked for more. The ripple effects will be felt for generations,” the head coach remarked.
All-rounder Amanjot Kaur, who took a stunning catch to dismiss South Africa skipper Laura Wolvaardt, who was looking dangerous to take away the game from India, spoke about that heart-stopping moment, after the grab.
“Everyone knew how important that catch was. I fumbled first, glad I got the second chance to take it. I do not have words to express. You can see the crowd cheering a lot. This is just the start. We are going to dominate all over the world in every format,” Amanjot said emotionally.
Recapping the match, South Africa won the toss and opted to bowl first. A century partnership between Smriti Mandhana (45 in 58 balls, with eight fours) and Shafali Verma kick-started things for India, followed by another 62-run stand between Shafali (87 in 78 balls, with seven fours and two sixes) and Jemimah Rodrigues (24 in 37 balls, with a four). India was at a fine platform of 166/2.
A 52-run stand between skipper Harmanpreet Kaur (20 in 29 balls, with two fours) and Deepti Sharma took India beyond the 200-run mark. A final flourish by Deepti (58 in 58 balls, with three fours and a six) and Richa Ghosh (34 in 24 balls, with three fours and two sixes) helped India reach 298/7 in their 50 overs.
Ayabonga Khaka (3/58) was the leading wicket-taker for SA.
During the run-chase, a fifty-run stand started things for SA, with Tazmin Brits (23 in 35 balls, with two fours and a six) being the first victim. Eventually, despite skipper Laura Wolvaardt’s dominance, the golden arms of Shafali Verma (2/36) and Shree Charani reduced SA to 148/5.
Wolvaardt had a 61-run stand for the sixth-wicket with Annerie Dercksen (37 in 35 balls, with a four and two sixes), which slowly started to rebuild pressure on India.
Wolvaardt (101 in 98 balls, with 11 fours and a six) continued her red-hot form, bringing up her century after having registered 169 against England in semifinal just a few days back. However, a game-changing spell from Deepti removed both set batters and had Proteas struggling at 221/8. She became the first Indian woman with a WC final four-fer. Deepti (5/39) eventually managed to convert it into a fiver, as India made history to win their maiden WC title by bundling out South Africa for 246 runs. (With inputs from ANI)
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