G Trisha’s all-round show helped India successfully defend their T20 World Cup title with a comprehensive 9-wicket win over South Africa in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday. The opener, also the leading run-scorer of the tournament, hit an unbeaten 44 off 33 balls in the chase to go with her 3 of 15 earlier as India bowled out South Africa for a paltry 82.
The champions raise the trophy high! 🏆✨ Team India U19 Women reign supreme once again, sealing their dominance with an unbeaten campaign! 💙🔥
A moment to cherish, a legacy to celebrate! #U19WomensT20WCOnJioStar #INDvSA pic.twitter.com/RPY2uZ2i89
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) February 2, 2025
Opting to bat first, South Africa had a forgettable start losing their top-three for just 20 runs on the board at the start of the fifth over. They could muster only 29 from their powerplay, but regular wickets never allowed South Africa the momentum to break free.
A brief 20-run partnership ensued between Kayla Reyneke and Karabo Meso for the fourth wicket but Trisha nipped the threat in the bud with the captain’s timely wicket. Ayushi Shukla then cleaned up Meso soon after to leave the middle-order to rebuild again. To that effect, Mieke van Voorst (23 off 18 balls) and Fay Cowling (15 off 20 balls) did stitch a 30-run stand but Trisha once again broke through to trigger a lower order collapse.
South Africa went from 74/5 to 82 all out over the next 15 deliveries to pose India a modest total. Trisha was the pick of the bowlers with her 3 for 15 in the four overs while Parunika Sisodia, Shukla and Vaishnavi Sharma bagged two apiece.
Proteas fall short:
The emotions were clear to see even at the offset of the game from both sides, as the national anthems at the beginning of the match saw skipper Kayla Reyneke well up with pride and emotion. It all came to a head at the end of the match as well, as the South African team went through the motions at the end of the match.
▶️ Women’s T20 World Cup 2023: Lost in the final
▶️ Men’s T20 World Cup 2024: Lost in the final
▶️ Women’s T20 World Cup 2024: Lost in the final
▶️ 𝗨𝟭𝟵 𝗪𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻’𝘀 𝗧𝟮𝟬 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗖𝘂𝗽 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱: 𝗟𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 😓South Africa’s wait continues… pic.twitter.com/f6MihuhbAy
— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) February 2, 2025
“It’s a lot of emotions going on in the team, but I’ll never take anything away from them. We have worked very hard on this journey,” said an emotional Reyneke during the post-match presentation.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better team. It’s tough not to come away with the trophy. We’ll never go down without a fight, that’s the South African spirit. We will come back stronger.
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