Two teams, one redemption: India, SA chase closure in World Cup final

Two teams, same haunting past, and a chance to finally set the record straight. The 2025 Women's World Cup final has brought two familiar stories to a decisive chapter. India and South Africa have spent years chasing the elusive silverware, and they now find themselves one step away from rewriting their destinies. A new world champion is guaranteed this Sunday - what remains uncertain is whose scars will finally heal.

For India, this is perhaps their most hard-earned final. Their journey has seen cracks appear in the face of tough defeats and pressure of epic proportions. But the team has belatedly shown their tendency to identify red flags and course-correct on the fly. They stumbled upon a near-perfect XI by the knockouts - and with it, their near-perfect game.

Now they have one final frontier to cross. On either side of India's dominating 3-0 series sweep in the ICC Women's ODI Championship 2022-25 was soul-crushing defeats to South Africa in World Cups. Between that no-ball in Christchurch and the Nadine de Klerk-inspired coup in Vizag, India have been the more commanding of the two in the format. That said, games of this magnitude have a way of levelling all equations.

India entered the tournament still burdened with their string of knockout defeats to Australia. Old doubts resurfaced when, in the midst of their campaign-threatening streak of losses, the hosts abjectly conceded two points despite putting on 330 on the board. However, they flipped the narrative in the semifinal - chasing down the highest total in Women's ODI history to knock out the defending champions and book a spot in the final of a home World Cup.

However cathartic that triumph was, India know too well from 2017 that a win against Australia in the semifinal doesn't guarantee glory. It's a feeling South Africa grasp just as deeply from their latest heartbreak.

South Africa's defiance and growth was on ample display between their 69 all out against England and the 97 all out against Australia - the two embarrassing defeats that bookended their round-robin stage. England had been a thorn in their flesh, ending their promising campaigns in both 2017 and 2022 semifinals. The Guwahati fiasco told another tale of missed opportunities. Yet, in the winning streak that followed, something shifted. Led by their talismanic skipper, they dismantled England with ruthless calm unshackled from the weight of their past.

This is the first final without Australia or England in it - a testament to how far India and South Africa have both come. They stand here having conquered their worst fears. Now, they're staring at the same truth - it's time to conquer those nerves.

They've stood on this stage multiple times before, only to let it slip away repeatedly. For India, two previous ODI finals have ended in anguish. For South Africa this marks their third straight ICC final across formats without any silverware to show for it. On Sunday, they will take the field carrying heartbreak and expectations. But only one will find closure and the other, fresh scars.

What to expect:Flat pitch, quick outfield and short boundaries will make for another high-scoring game. However, there's also a bit of rain around to likely interrupt play. There is also a reserve day, just in case.

Head-to-head: India lead 20-13 in 34 ODIs (1 no result). The World Cups record is at 3-all with South Africa having won all of the last three encounters dating back to the group game in 2017. Since the beginning of IWC 2022-25, India lead 5-1 with the only loss coming earlier in this tournament.

India: Whether India bring back offspinner Sneh Rana for left-arm spinner Radha Yadav is the only question. Teams barely like to change a winning combination but India aren't averse to positive changes anymore, going by their three games here. Radha was expensive against Australia on a flat track - 0/66 in eight overs, and Rana has a stellar record against South Africa in 2025 including her career-best 5/43 in the tri-series in Colombo on white-ball comeback. Rana's addition also provides some batting cushion lower down the order where Radha is yet to prove herself with the bat at the highest level.

South Africa: The first-time finalists too have a similar conundrum. They dropped Masabata Klaas for some batting depth instead, in the semifinal against England, and now with batting-friendly conditions expected in the final, they would be tempted to stick to their winning XI.

"It's going to be a very tough game with the whole crowd behind India; probably a sold out stadium. It's going to be a very exciting opportunity but at the same time I think it puts a lot of pressure on them as well. They have the whole country behind them and are sort of expected to win. It sort of plays in our favour, hopefully. We're very excited for the game. They're a very good side. We're going to have to play some really good cricket to beat them." Laura Wolvaardt, South Africa captain, on the crowd factor

"No doubt they have played very good cricket even though their start was not that good. Even after that, the way they came back to this tournament, that's outstanding to watch. It's a very balanced side. We know that they have a good bowling attack and at the same time there is a lot of depth in batting. But our team has also got a lot of positives. Tomorrow's match is going to be very interesting and we are mentally and physically preparing ourselves for that level." - Harmanpreet Kaur, India captain, on facing South Africa again after a close defeat earlier

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