Navi Mumbai, Nov 2 (IANS) Deepti Sharma topped a great all-round performance with a fifty and five-wicket haul as India defeated South Africa by 52 runs to claim a historic maiden Women’s ODI World Cup title at the DY Patil Stadium here on Sunday.

Harmanpreet Kaur’s team thus bagged India’s third World Cup title in ODIs — men and women combine, adding to the ones bagged by Kapil Dev’s team in 1983 and MS Dhoni’s boys in 2011 in nearby Wankhede Stadium.

Deepti claimed 5-39 after scoring a fighting 58 to help India score 298/7 in 50 overs and then helped the hosts bundle out South Africa for 246 in 45.3 overs to seal a memorable victory, becoming only the third country after England and Australia to win both the men’s and women’s ODI World Cup.

Shafali Verma was not far behind for India as she top-scored with 87 for India as the hosts posted 298/7 in 50 overs and then came back to claim two wickets for 36 to pull India out of the woods as Wolvaardt repaired the Indian innings.

South Africa’s captain, Laura Wolvaardt, waged a lone battle, but the Indians could not be denied on Sunday as they battled hard, backed each other and stunned the world with a brilliant performance. The team had lost three matches in a row, qualified as the last team for the semifinals, then upset Australia and defeated South Africa to win the title.

She raised half-century partnerships with opening partner Tazmin Brits (29) and 61 with Annerie Dercksen (35), but India could not be denied on Sunday night as they maintained their nerves and, with Deepti and Shafali Verma providing the breakthroughs, fought back to win the historic title.

Earlier, Verma struck her first half-century in three years in ODIs while Deepti Sharma bagged her third of this Women’s World Cup as India posted 298/7 in their 50 overs in a World Cup final delayed by two hours by rain and wet outfield.

Shafali, at 21 years, the youngest to score a fifty in the World Cup final, struck a superb 87 coming into the ODI team after a year and raised a century partnership with Smriti Mandhana (45). South Africa pulled things back in the middle overs, but Deepti Sharma scored her third half-century of this World Cup to prop up the innings. She and Richa Ghosh added 47 runs for the sixth wicket to help India push closer to the 300-run mark. With a little better execution, they could have taken the team past 300.

Asked to bat first, India got off to a superb start with the old-firm partnership of Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana raising 100 runs for the opening wicket, in the process completing 1000 runs of their partnership as openers. They are the fourth Indian pair to do so.

Shafali, who came into the side in place of the injured Pratika Rawal just before the semifinal, started aggressively, hitting seven fours and two sixes in her 78-ball 87.

She started with a boundary off Ayabonga Khaka in the second over after Karizanne Kapp started with a maiden over. She took her chances, raised 64 runs in the Power-play with Mandhana and scored her first fifty in three years in this format off 49 balls, hitting five boundaries and one six — the first six of the final, which came off Nadine de Klerk.

Smriti Mandhana, who had started slowly and had changed gears and was looking good for a fifty, fell for 45 off 58 balls, studded with eight fours.

The 21-year-old Shafali, the youngest player to represent India, was lucky to get a reprieve, dropped by Anneke Bosch when on 57, sending a slog-sweep miles into the sky, only for Bosch to put down a sitter at deep mid-wicket. She struck another six before getting out at the most inappropriate time, when in sight of a maiden century, before lobbing a tired shot to Sune Luus off Khaka for 87.

Deeptu then took over the mantle of rescuing the Indian innings and, with help from Richa Ghosh and Amanjot Kaur, helped the team reach a defendable total.

Brief Scores: India 298/7 in 50 overs (Shafali Verma 87, Deepti Sharma 54, Richa Ghosh 34; Ayabonga Khaka 3-58) beat South Africa 246 all out in 45.3 overs (Laura Wolvaardt 101, Annerie Dercksen 35; Deepti Sharma 5-39, Shafali Verma 2-36) by 52 runs.

–IANS

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