Captain Harmanpreet Kaur said her team's breakthrough Women's World Cup triumph was "just the beginning" as they beat South Africa by 52 runs on Sunday to win the tournament for the first time.
Shafali Verma and Deepti Sharma shone with both bat and ball to propel India to the title in front of a jubilant home crowd at Mumbai's DY Patil Stadium.
India posted 298-7 and then bowled South Africa out for 246 in 45.3 overs with spinner Sharma taking five wickets after earlier contributing a vital 58 in the middle order.
Verma top-scored with 87 as India posted a challenging total after they were put in to bat in a final delayed two hours by rain. South Africa skipper Laura Wolvaardt hit a valiant 101 but her departure off Sharma raised the noise at the 45,000-capacity stadium, which had turned into a sea of blue.
Sharma took down Nadine de Klerk, for 18, for the final wicket as India celebrated with the thousands of supporters inside the ground and millions outside in the cricket-mad nation.
"We wanted to break this barrier," Kaur said. "And our next plan is to make this a habit. We were waiting for it, now this moment has come. So many big occasions are coming, and we want to keep improving. This is not the end, just the beginning."
The Indian women triumphed at the third attempt after finishing runners-up in 2005 and 2017. India toiled in the league phase and suffered three successive defeats but clinched the last semi-final spot, before knocking out record seven-time champions and heavy favourites Australia.
For South Africa, it was a third straight loss in a World Cup final after they finished runners-up in back-to-back editions of the T20 showpiece in 2023 and 2024.
South Africa made their first ODI World Cup final despite starting the competition with a 10-wicket thrashing by England after being bundled out for 69. The Proteas had their revenge when they beat England in the semi-final with Wolvaardt scoring 169.
"I could not be prouder of this team for the campaign we had," said Wolvaardt, who led the tournament batting charts with 571 runs at an average of over 71.
"Brilliant cricket throughout but outplayed today (by India). Unfortunate to be on the losing side but we will definitely grow from this."
Sharma struck key blows with her off-spin in the final, including the wicket of Annerie Dercksen, who hit 35 in a 61-run partnership with Wolvaardt that gave South Africa hope.
But it was Sharma's double-wicket over to dismiss Wolvaardt and then Chloe Tryon, for nine, that took India to the brink of victory.
Kaur's ploy of giving the ball to Verma, a part-time off-spinner, in the 20th over proved key as the youngster removed Sune Luus.
Verma dislodged Marizanne Kapp in the next over to plunge South Africa into deeper trouble but Wolvaardt kept South Africa in the game until her departure in the 42nd over.
Kaur said the decision to hand Verma, who was named player of the match, the ball proved to be the "turning point" of the game.
Verma, who was brought into the team for the semi-final after fellow opener Pratika Rawal went down injured, gave India a fast start with the bat.
She put on 104 runs with Smriti Mandhana (45) to lay solid foundations at a venue that has produced big runs, including India's record chase of 339 in the semi-final against Australia.
Sharma then added valuable runs with her 18th ODI fifty to crank up the pressure on South Africa despite three wickets for Ayabonga Khaka.
Sharma took a tournament-best 22 wickets, also chipping in with 215 runs as a batter, and was named the best player of the World Cup.
Tamkeen's offering
- Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
- Option 2: 50% across three years
- Option 3: 30% across five years
THE BIO
Bio Box
Role Model: Sheikh Zayed, God bless his soul
Favorite book: Zayed Biography of the leader
Favorite quote: To be or not to be, that is the question, from William Shakespeare's Hamlet
Favorite food: seafood
Favorite place to travel: Lebanon
Favorite movie: Braveheart
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Women’s World T20, Asia Qualifier, in Bangkok
UAE fixtures Mon Nov 20, v China; Tue Nov 21, v Thailand; Thu Nov 23, v Nepal; Fri Nov 24, v Hong Kong; Sun Nov 26, v Malaysia; Mon Nov 27, Final
(The winners will progress to the Global Qualifier)
The specs: 2019 Aston Martin DBS Superleggera
Price, base: Dh1.2 million
Engine: 5.2-litre twin-turbo V12
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 725hp @ 6,500pm
Torque: 900Nm @ 1,800rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.3L / 100km (estimate)
'The Ice Road'
Director: Jonathan Hensleigh
Stars: Liam Neeson, Amber Midthunder, Laurence Fishburne
2/5
Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale
Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni
Director: Amith Krishnan
Rating: 3.5/5
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Business Insights
- As per the document, there are six filing options, including choosing to report on a realisation basis and transitional rules for pre-tax period gains or losses.
- SMEs with revenue below Dh3 million per annum can opt for transitional relief until 2026, treating them as having no taxable income.
- Larger entities have specific provisions for asset and liability movements, business restructuring, and handling foreign permanent establishments.
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
Scoreline
Al Wasl 1 (Caio Canedo 90 1')
Al Ain 2 (Ismail Ahmed 3', Marcus Berg 50')
Red cards: Ismail Ahmed (Al Ain) 77'
Zidane's managerial achievements
La Liga: 2016/17
Spanish Super Cup: 2017
Uefa Champions League: 2015/16, 2016/17, 2017/18
Uefa Super Cup: 2016, 2017
Fifa Club World Cup: 2016, 2017
BAD%20BOYS%3A%20RIDE%20OR%20DIE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Adil%20El%20Arbi%20and%20Bilall%20Fallah%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EWill%20Smith%2C%20Martin%20Lawrence%2C%20Joe%20Pantoliano%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EJustine%20Triet%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESandra%20Huller%2C%20Swann%20Arlaud%2C%20Milo%20Machado-Graner%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%205%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Mercedes V250 Avantgarde specs
Engine: 2.0-litre in-line four-cylinder turbo
Gearbox: 7-speed automatic
Power: 211hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 350Nm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.0 l/100 km
Price: Dh235,000
Dhadak
Director: Shashank Khaitan
Starring: Janhvi Kapoor, Ishaan Khattar, Ashutosh Rana
Stars: 3
