Navi Mumbai, Nov 2 (UNI) South Africa Women captain Laura Wolvaardt won the toss and elected to bowl first against India Women in the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025 final at the DY Patil Stadium here today.
The toss took place at 4:32 PM after a brief rain delay, and play is set to begin at 5 PM with no overs lost.
Wolvaardt cited the overcast skies and possibility of dew as the main reasons behind her decision, expecting some early movement due to the recent rain.
“We are going to bowl first. Bit of rain around and there might be dew later on, hoping for a bit of slipperiness early on. We are unchanged from the semis. It’s a big game for us, and we’re really excited for the opportunity to play in front of a big crowd,” she said.
India captain Harmanpreet Kaur said she, too, had considered bowling first given the overhead conditions but was confident her team could post a strong total.
“We were looking to bowl, but 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 had two days to recover after the semis and everyone is looking forward to this game,” Harmanpreet said.
Both sides have fielded unchanged XIs from their respective semifinal victories.
Playing XIs:
India Women: 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: 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.
