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Following her side's maiden ICC Women's World Cup win, Indian skipper Harmanpreet Kaur reflected on her future goals to lift the upcoming T20 World Cup and ICC Women's Champions Trophy with her team and how she went "with her gut" to give Shafali Verma the ball after she had registered a historic 87 with the bat. Harmanpreet, one of India's women's cricket's longest serving players, finally fulfilled her World Cup dream with the captaincy armband on her, as India beat South Africa by 52 runs in a clinical performance during the title clash.

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'I Went With My Gut': Kaur on Shafali's Game-Changing Over

During the final, after Shafali's 87 had lifted India to 298/7, Harmanpreet gave her a chance with the ball too, which paid off really well as she got two wickets of Sune Luus and an experienced Marizanne Kapp, which put the Proteas under immense pressure. Speaking during the post-match presentation, Harmanpreet said, "When Laura (Wolvaardt) and Sune were batting, they looked really good. I saw Shefali standing there, and the way she batted earlier - I just knew it was her day. My heart said, "Give her one over." I went with my gut. I asked her if she was ready, and she replied immediately, "Yes." She has always wanted to contribute with the ball, and that over changed everything for us. When she first joined the team, we told her she might need to bowl two or three overs. She said, "If you give me the ball, I will bowl ten for the team!" That's how confident she is. She's fearless, positive, and always ready to step up for the team."

A Historic Triumph: Harmanpreet Reflects on the Journey

Reflecting on the triumph, Harmanpreet was delighted with the performance of the entire team, the support from the home crowd and the backing of the BCCI and their support staff for their belief. "I am just so grateful for this crowd. They have been amazing. Thank you, everyone, for supporting us through all the ups and downs. And a special thanks to my dad - I almost forgot him - our selectors, and everyone back home. Thank you so much. Even after those three losses, we always had that belief. We spoke about it after the last game - we knew this team had something special to turn things around. Credit to every single member. They stayed positive, focused, and gave everything day and night," said Harmanpreet.

"Credit to the support staff and the BCCI for trusting us - they didn't make too many changes, they believed in this group. And today, we're standing here because of everyone who's been part of this journey - past and present. This is just the beginning. We wanted to break this barrier, and now we have. Our next goal is to make this consistent - to make it happen again and again. We've got the Champions Cup and another World Cup next year. Big moments are coming, and we just want to keep improving day by day. This is not the end - it is the start of a new chapter," she added.

Harmanpreet also admitted that the rain made things tricky. "We knew 290 was a fighting total in the final. Finals always come with pressure. Credit to South Africa, they played beautifully. But in the end, when they panicked a bit, we seized the moment, took those crucial wickets, and turned the game our way. Very special. Every World Cup, we would talk as a team about what we needed to do to cross that final line. The last two years under Amol (Mazumdar) sir, we have worked so hard. He kept reminding us that this team is capable of something extraordinary," she concluded.

World Cup Final: Match Highlights

India's Batting Performance

Coming to 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.

South Africa's Run-Chase

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 the 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 SA for 246 runs. (ANI)

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