Women’s World Cup 2025, IND vs SA: Nadine de Klerk’s stunning 84 off 54 powers South Africa past India and into the top four.
Brief Scores: India 251 (Richa Ghosh 94, Chloe Tryon 3/32) lost to South Africa 252/7 (Nadine de Klerk 84, Sneh Rana 2/47) by 3 wickets.
Player of the Match: Nadine de Klerk (84 off 54 balls)
India’s Women’s World Cup 2025 campaign suffered a jolt as South Africa chased down 252 in a thrilling contest at Visakhapatnam. Despite early breakthroughs from Kranti Gaud and Amanjot Kaur, dismissing Tazmin Brits and Suné Luus, the Proteas regrouped.
Laura Wolvaardt (70) and Chloe Tryon (49) steadied the innings, but it was Nadine de Klerk’s explosive unbeaten 84 off 54 balls that sealed the victory. Their crucial 69-run partnership guided South Africa to a three-wicket win with seven balls to spare, handing India their first defeat of the tournament.
Talking Point: Chloe Tryon and Nadine de Klerk’s game-changing partnership
Chloe Tryon and Nadine de Klerk’s pivotal 69-run partnership was instrumental in South Africa’s thrilling chase against India. Tryon anchored the innings with a composed 49 off 66 balls, while de Klerk accelerated the scoring, finishing with a total of 84 runs off 54 balls.
Their stand not only stabilised the innings after early setbacks but also maintained the required run rate, keeping India under pressure. The duo’s combined efforts guided South Africa to a three-wicket victory, showcasing their ability to perform under pressure and turn the match decisively in their favour.
Read More: Women’s World Cup 2025: Are India missing an impact player like Shafali Verma at the top?
Richa Ghosh’s resilience guides India to a fighting total of 251
After winning the toss, South Africa’s Laura Wolvaardt opted to bowl — a decision that seemed spot on early as India stumbled from 83/1 to 102/6. The left-arm spin duo of Nonkululeko Mlaba and Chloe Tryon tore through the top and middle order after a solid 55-run opening stand between Smriti Mandhana and Pratika Rawal.
But Richa Ghosh produced a sensational rescue act, smashing 94 off 77 balls — the highest-ever score by a No.8 batter in Women’s World Cup history. She added 51 runs with Amanjot Kaur and 88 with Sneh Rana to lift India to 251 in 49.5 overs. Tryon picked three wickets, while Kapp, de Klerk, and Mlaba took two each. What looked like a collapse turned into a spirited fightback from India.
Nadine de Klerk plays blinder to hand South Africa thrilling win
Chasing 252, South Africa were under early pressure as Kranti Gaud and Amanjot Kaur removed Tazmin Brits and Suné Luus, and India struck again to dismiss Laura Wolvaardt, Marizanne Kapp, and Annke Bosch.
However, a determined partnership between Chloe Tryon and Nadine de Klerk revived the chase. Wolvaardt played a crucial 70-run knock, Tryon scored 49 off 66 balls despite battling cramps, and De Klerk remained unbeaten on 84 off 54 balls, pacing the innings perfectly and targeting the right bowlers. Their combined efforts helped South Africa win the match.
Read More: Women’s World Cup 2025: India’s misfiring middle order might hurt them against stronger opponents
Statistical Highlights from IND vs SA, Women’s World Cup 2025 game
- Smriti Mandhana now has the most runs in women’s ODIs in a calendar year, surpassing Belinda Clark’s 970 in 1997.
- Smriti Mandhana’s career WODI batting average is 47.06. It drops down to 34.05 in Women’s World Cup.
- Pratika Rawal has a batting average of 47.73 as an opener. This is the second-best average for an India opener with minimum 500 runs. Deepti Sharma leads the list with an average of 56.18 as an opener.
- Harmanpreet Kaur registered her third-lowest individual score (9) against South Africa in WODIs.
- India Women slide from 83-1 to 102-6, losing 5 wickets for 19 runs. This is the second-worst collapse for these wickets for India against South Africa in WODIs.
- Amanjot Kaur & Richa Ghosh added 51 runs for the seventh wicket. This is the second-highest seventh wicket stand for India against South Africa in WODIs.
- Richa Ghosh has crossed the 1000-run mark in WODIs.
- Richa Ghosh registered the highest individual score (94) for a no. 8 batter in WODIs.
- Richa Ghosh & Sneh Rana produced the second-best 8th wicket stand (88) in WODI history.
- India’s no. 7 to 11 added 149 runs to take them from 6-102 to 251 all out. These are the maximum runs accumulated by these wickets for India in WODI history.
- Laura Wolvaardt brought up her 10th fifty-plus score in the Women’s World Cup. Only three other batters have more fifty-plus scores in this competition – Mithali Raj (13), Debbie Hockley (12) & Charlotte Edwards (11).
Points table scenario and what’s next?
With this defeat, India drops to 3rd place with 4 points from 3 matches, while South Africa moves into the top 4 with 4 points from 3 matches, strengthening their position in the tournament.
India’s next match is against Australia on October 12, 2025, at the Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam, while South Africa will face Bangladesh the following day, on October 13, 2025, at the same venue.
Read More: Women’s World Cup 2025, IND vs PAK: Despite indifferent batting, India win courtesy Kranti’s 3-20
