It was a thriller match in the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025 on Thursday night between India Women and South Africa Women.

South Africa won the toss and opted to field. India started with a boundary on the very first ball of the match off Marizanne Kapp. The start was solid — 55/1 after 10 overs — but wickets at regular intervals put India under pressure. At 26 overs, India was struggling at 102/6.

That’s when Richa Ghosh rose under pressure. Amanjot Kaur, who was struggling to rotate the strike, got out for 13 (44), but that didn’t affect Richa. Sneh Rana and Richa started attacking the bowlers, adding crucial runs in the final overs. Sneh got out in the 49th over, and Richa fell just short of a hundred after hitting a couple of boundaries in the last over. India was all out for 251 in 49.5 overs.

For South Africa, Laura Wolvaardt and Tazmin Brits opened the innings. Kranti Gaud picked up the wicket of Tazmin for 0, putting South Africa under early pressure. Quick wickets followed, and Laura stood firm in the middle, scoring a valuable 70 runs. At 142/6, India seemed to be in control.

But Nadine de Klerk had other plans. Her aggressive batting turned the game around as she smashed 84 runs off just 54 balls, with 8 fours and 5 sixes, guiding South Africa to victory in 48.5 overs. Chloe Tryon also contributed with a solid all-round performance, scoring 46 runs off 66 balls. Nadine de Klerk became player of the match.