Women’s World Cup final: South Africa opt to field against India at Navi Mumbai

NAVI MUMBAI: South Africa won the toss and elected to field against India in the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025 final, being played at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on Sunday.

Opting to chase in the high-pressure final, South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt said the conditions and weather influenced her decision.

“We are going to bowl first. Bit of rain around and there might be dew later on, hoping for a bit of slippiness early on with all the rain around. We are unchanged from the semis. Big game for us, and we are really excited for the opportunity to be here and play in front of a big crowd. We are very confident,” the South Africa skipper said at the toss.

India captain Harmanpreet Kaur revealed that she, too, was looking to bowl first, considering the overcast conditions, but remained confident of putting up a strong total.

“We were looking to bowl, looking at the overhead conditions. We will try to bat well and put up a decent score. I don’t think there will be much on the pitch after 5-6 overs. We are going with the same team. We had two days to recover after the semis, and everyone is looking forward to this game,” Harmanpreet said.

Both teams have named unchanged XIs from their semi-final wins, setting the stage for a thrilling contest as both India and South Africa are chasing their maiden Women’s World Cup title. However, it is India’s third Women’s World Cup final, while South Africa is playing its first one.

India Women (Playing XI): Shafali Verma, Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur(captain), Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh(wicketkeeper), Amanjot Kaur, Radha Yadav, Kranti Gaud, Shree Charani, Renuka Singh Thakur

South Africa Women (Playing XI): Laura Wolvaardt(captain), Tazmin Brits, Anneke Bosch, Sune Luus, Marizanne Kapp, Sinalo Jafta(wicketkeeper), Annerie Dercksen, Chloe Tryon, Nadine de Klerk, Ayabonga Khaka, Nonkululeko Mlaba. (ANI)