Overview
- India play South Africa at DY Patil Stadium on Sunday as the hosts chase a first Women’s ODI World Cup title after losses in the 2005 and 2017 finals, with the Proteas in their maiden 50-over final.
- India’s path to the decider was a record 339-run chase against Australia led by Jemimah Rodrigues’ unbeaten 127 and Harmanpreet Kaur’s 89.
- Harmanpreet stressed enjoying the occasion, focusing on small targets and staying balanced, noting two years of preparation for a home World Cup and acknowledging her emotional response to the semifinal win.
- Messages of support from the Indian men’s team, including Gautam Gambhir, Suryakumar Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah, urged the side to be fearless, as Kapil Dev publicly backed the team’s quality.
- Huge ticket demand has created off-field pressure for seats that Harmanpreet welcomed as a good challenge, while experts such as Aakash Chopra floated a potential XI tweak with Sneh Rana for Radha Yadav and warned against dropped catches.