Harmanpreet Kaur Equals Unwanted Record, Dating Back To 1982, In Women's World Cup Final. But There's A Silver Lining
India captain Harmanpreet Kaur equalled an unfortunate record set 43 years ago in the Women's World Cup 2025 final against South Africa.
- India were put into bat after Harmanpreet Kaur lost her 8th toss of the Women's World Cup 2025 in the final
- This equalled the record of most tosses lost by India in a single Women's World Cup, alongside the one in 1982
- There was a silver lining as teams batting first have won the Women's World Cup final more times (6 out of 10)
India captain Harmanpreet Kaur's unfortunate toss record continued into the Women's World Cup 2025 final on Sunday. Harmanpreet lost the toss to South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt in the final. It was the eighth time that Harmanpreet lost the toss in the World Cup. This meant that Harmanpreet equalled the record of the most tosses lost by an Indian captain in a single edition of the Women's World Cup. India had also lost eight tosses in the 1982 edition, 43 years ago. However, there was a silver lining for Harmanpreet as well.
Harmanpreet and Team India were put into bat by South Africa captain Wolvaardt in the 2025 final in Navi Mumbai. As a result, despite losing the toss, India received a historical statistical edge.
Of the 10 Women's World Cup finals held till date, the side batting first have won on six occasions, including in each of the last three occasions.
Opting to chase in the high-pressure final, South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt said the conditions and weather influenced her decision.
"We are going to bowl first. Bit of rain around and there might be dew later on, hoping for a bit of slippiness early on with all the rain around. We are unchanged from the semis. Big game for us, and we are really excited for the opportunity to be here and play in front of a big crowd. We are very confident," the South Africa skipper said at the toss.
India captain Harmanpreet Kaur revealed that she, too, was looking to bowl first, considering the overcast conditions, but remained confident of putting up a strong total.
"We were looking to bowl, looking at the overhead conditions. We will try to bat well and put up a decent score. I don't think there will be much on the pitch after 5-6 overs. We are going with the same team. We had two days to recover after the semis, and everyone is looking forward to this game," Harmanpreet said.
Both teams named unchanged playing XIs from their semi-final wins.
With ANI inputs
India Women
South Africa Women