Jubilant India held their nerve under the weight of huge expectation to beat South Africa by 52 runs and clinch a historic first Women's World Cup win.

The showpiece event in front of a raucous, sold-out 45,000 crowd was delayed by two hours because of rain but no overs were lost and a match for the ages played out in Navi Mumbai.

The hosts batted first and posted a competitive 298-7 - opener Shafali Verma led the charge with a dynamic 87 from 78 balls, backed up by Deepti Sharma's 58, which set the Proteas their record one-day international run-chase.

Captain Laura Wolvaardt scored her second successive century, a flawless 101 from 98 balls, which kept South Africa in contention at 211-6 and needing 88 from the final 10 overs.

But her dismissal, via a juggling catch from Amanjot Kaur at deep mid-wicket off Deepti in the 42nd over, sparked India's charge to victory and even with the game finishing after midnight local time, the packed crowd stayed and roared until the very last ball.

The emotions were contrasting for South Africa, who finished 246 all out which confirmed their third successive final defeat, having lost the previous two T20 finals.

Verma, who was only called up for the semi-finals after an injury to Pratika Rawal, added figures of 2-36 to her knock to also become an unlikely hero with the ball but it was Deepti, the tournament's leading wicket-taker, who ripped through the Proteas batters to finish with 5-39 as bedlam unfolded.

It completes an incredible turnaround for India, who lost three consecutive group-stage games before their march to glory.

The scenes at the DY Patil Stadium suggested this triumph will ignite a new era in the women's game.

India win sparks watershed moment

This was a final of two teams familiar with near-misses - India in 2017 and at the T20 edition in 2020, and South Africa with their defeats by Australia and New Zealand in the shorter format in 2023 and 2024.

For India in particular, though, with their cricket-loving nation and the domination of their men's side, it always felt like a matter of when and not if they would conquer the world.

This was billed as the tournament that could change the world order of women's cricket and it had its obstacles - a slow start, one-sided games, washouts and crucially, India losing three games in a row to leave their semi-final place in some jeopardy.

But it was that astonishing semi-final win against favourites Australia, at this same venue, which turned the tide and had crowds queuing outside the ground more than 24 hours out from the first ball, scrambling for tickets.

The Women's Premier League, India's franchise T20 tournament, has been instrumental in improving their depth and giving them the experience of playing in front of big crowds, which had all built up to this moment.

Australia have been the dominant force of women's cricket in the last decade, at times looking unstoppable, but this is likely to be a moment that is referred to in years to come as when the sport changed - just as it was when the men won their equivalent for the first time under Kapil Dev in 1983.

Fearless Verma sets up India glory

With both teams vying for their first World Cup title, the pre-match talk was all about who could handle the occasion ? India faced with enormous expectation, contrasted with whether South Africa could use the underdog tag in their favour.

With rain washing out any hopes of starting on time, it was inevitable the captain who won the toss would bowl first but the Navi Mumbai surface remained batter-friendly as it had been in India's high-scoring semi-final against Australia, exemplified by Smriti Mandhana and Verma calmly cruising to 64-0 in the powerplay.

It was actually South Africa's bowlers who appeared consumed by the occasion as they bowled too wide to the openers, who reeled off the boundaries with ease, before Mandhana was caught behind off Chloe Tryon and Verma chipped Ayabonga Khaka to mid-off.

The Proteas' ground fielding was brilliant, but they were guilty of dropping five catches including a crucial drop by Anneke Bosch with Verma on 56, while Deepti was also put down on 35 and 37.

Verma was visibly distraught to miss out on a World Cup century but it was a staggering knock considering the lateness of her inclusion in the side and the magnitude of the game, and its attacking nature was invaluable in taking the pressure off the tournament's poster girl, Mandhana.

Jemimah Rodrigues, the semi-final hero, fell for 24 two overs after Verma which gave South Africa a chance to regain control, but India showed impressive composure in keeping partnerships ticking over, anchored by Deepti, before Richa Ghosh's dynamic 34 from 24 balls ensured they finished with a late flourish.

Though it required a record chase, there was a sense that India did not have enough to feel completely comfortable ? only adding 69 in the final 10 overs for the loss of three wickets ? with the context of India's semi-final chase of 339.

Though Deepti's all-round performances have been sensational all tournament, few would have predicted that Verma would also be her accomplice with the ball.

Deepti outshines Wolvaardt's magnificence

South Africa's hopes were largely dependent on the fortunes of their incredible captain and opener, who played a match-winning knock of 169 in the semi against England, but there was always a feeling that game had been their final.

However, Wolvaardt looked as if she had packed up the Guwahati pitch and carried on with a net session, batting with such fluency and elegance which planted seeds of doubt in the captivated crowd.

Another moment of brilliance from Amanjot led to the first breakthrough, swooping in one motion from mid-wicket to run out Tazmin Brits before Anneke Bosch was pinned lbw by Shree Charani for a duck to sway the momentum back in India's favour.

Sune Luus and Wolvaardt rebuilt steadily before Harmanpreet Kaur surprisingly turned to Verma with the ball and she turned the game on its head by having the former caught and bowled and all-rounder Marizanne Kapp was caught behind for four from her following over.

Annerie Dercksen played a handy supporting act of 35 before she was bowled by Deepti which saw the run-rate climb, and the pressure told on Wolvaardt, who was forced into playing a shot of aggression off the same bowler.

Every India player sprinted towards Amanjot, who took the catch at the third attempt, to signify the importance of the wicket and Wolvaardt, so often calm and expressionless, looked distraught to know the game had gone with her.

It was a cruel end to the tournament for a generational talent, with the leading wicket-taker eclipsing the leading run-scorer when it mattered the most.

It was fitting for Deepti to claim the final wicket of Nadine de Klerk for 18 and for the catch to be taken by their talismanic captain Harmanpreet.

'We wanted to break this barrier' - what they said

India captain Harmanpreet Kaur: "After every World Cup we came together as a team and we were discussing what we needed to do. The expectations out of us were that we needed something special.

"This is the start, and we wanted to break this barrier, and the next plan is to make this our habit. We have so many big occasions coming up, and this is not the end; this is just the beginning."

South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt: "I couldn't be prouder of this team for the campaign that we've had. We've played some brilliant cricket throughout but we were outplayed today, India played fantastically well.

"Unfortunate to be on the losing side but I'm sure we'll grow from this as a group." (BBC)

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