The hosts taste their first defeat in the tournament, that too in some shocking manner. Richa Ghosh hogged limelight in the first innings, but Nadine de Klerk stole the show as well as the game from India in the second one. Okay, folks! That is it from this ICC Women's World Cup 2025 game. We hope you liked our coverage. Goodbye!

Another six from Nadine de Klerk and that seals the victory for South Africa. What a win this is! They have won this game by a margin of 3 wickets. What a turnaround this is! They were always lagging behind in the chase, but de Klerk's sensational knock towards the end has helped the Proteas pull off this heist.

SAW 252/7 (48.5)

Nadine de Klerk has smoked the Amanjot Kaur delivery for a biggie. That went over the cow corner. South Africa Women need 6 runs in 9 balls. They are almost there. Just a hit away from victory.

11 came off the final over of Deepti Sharma. She ended her quota of 10 overs with figures of 1 for 54. South Africa Women need 12 in 12. This is their game to lose from this point. Nadine de Klerk is playing a blinder. She is batting on 72 off just 49 balls.

Kranti Gaud has leaked 18 runs in her 9th over. South Africa Women are going really well in this chase at the moment. They need 23 runs in 18 balls. India are surely feeling the pressure of it as the Proteas have made a game out of it. This match is heading towards a thrilling finish.

Nadine de Klerk raced to her her half-century with a six over deep mid-wicket on the bowling of Kranti Gaud. She smashed the pacer again for another one over the long-off this time. Klerk then created room for herself and lofted the ball over sweeper cover for a four. South Africa Women need 24 runs in 21 balls.

Massive moment in the game! Just when it seemed South Africa were putting India under pressure, Sneh Rana has dismissed Chloe Tryon to put the hosts back in command. South Africa Women need 41 runs in 25 balls.

Chloe Tryon lbw b Sneh Rana 49(66)

Eight runs came off the over from Amanjot Kaur. South Africa Women have reached the mark of 200. They need 52 runs in 30 balls. The Proteas continue to fight back in this chase.

Chloe Tryon swept the Sneh Rana delivery towards the backward square leg. Smriti Mandhana ran in and put in a dive forward but failed to take the catch. South Africa Women need 60 runs in 36 balls. Asking rate is 10 for them now.

Kranti Gaud pitched it up and Nadine de Klerk smashed it down the ground for a four. The ball went through the right of the mid-off fielder. South Africa Women need 65 runs in 44 balls. Do they have a chance?

SAW 187/6 (42.4)

Chloe Tryon is needs 9 runs to race to her fifty. South Africa Women need 81 runs in 60 balls. The asking rate for them has gone above eight now. India stay in command. They should finish this game quite comfortably.

Chloe Tryon continues to fight back for South Africa Women. She slammed Kranti Gaud for a four on the third ball. It turned out to be an expensive over as Gaud leaked 11 runs in it. The Proteas need 91 runs in 72 balls. Asking rate is 7.58 for them.

Kranti Gaud has dismissed Laura Wolvaardt! This might be the game for India. Wolvaardt tried to create room for herself but Gaud bowled a yorker to rattle the stumps. End of a fantastic knock from the South Africa skipper.

Wolvaardt b Kranti Gaud 70(111)

Four runs came off the over of Deepti Sharma. The partnership for the sixth wicket between Laura Wolvaardt and Chloe Tryon has crossed the mark of 50 runs. India need a breakthrough or South Africa will keep their hopes intact.

Four came off the fourth over from Harmanpreet Kaur. India have kept South Africa under the pump. The Proteas' scoring rate is below 4 while the asking rate for them has gone over 7. Just one wicket of Laura Wolvaardt and it will be India's game.

A boundary for South Africa. They need many more like this as asking rate is close to 7 now. It was a short ball from Harmanpreet Kaur and Chloe Tryon hit it through the long-leg for a four. The backward square leg run to its right but failed to reach to the ball.

SAW 107/5 (28.4) 

Laura Wolvaardt reached her half-century in 81 balls. She got there with a single on the fourth ball of the over bowled by Harmanpreet Kaur. It has been a fighting knock from Wolvaardt but South Africa also face the pressure of the increasing asking rate.

Shree Charani has bowled a maiden over here to Chloe Tryon. What a turnaround this has been from the spinner! She leaked 15 runs in her first two overs, and conceded just two in the next two. India have spun a web around South Africa.

Shree Charani, the local girl, has dismissed Sinalo Jafta. That spun and hit Jafta on the foot. Umpire raised his finger and even a review could not save the batter. India are right on top. For South Africa, opener Laura Wolvaardt is their only hope.

SAW 81/5 (19.4)

Shree Charani has conceded 15 runs in her first two overs so far. She started with a 10-run over and was taken off the attack. The spinner returned and conceded five runs in her next over. What concerned was the fact that she was not looking her best even in the second over. 

A tough chance there at mid-wicket but Jemimah Rodrigues dropped it. Sinalo Jafta drove it to the right of the fielder. Rodrigues jumped to her right and the ball hit her right hand before falling on the ground. 

A good return catch from Deepti Sharma and that sends Anneke Bosch back to the hut for a low score. It was a flighted delivery from Deepti and Bosch smashed it really hard into the hands of the spinner. South Africa are four down! 

Sneh Rana has broken the 39-run partnership for the third wicket. This is a big breakthrough for India. Marizanne Kapp jumped out of her crease but missed it completely. The ball hit the off-stump. India are back in the game.

Kapp b Sneh Rana 20(25)

India are leaking runs now! Sneh Rana bowled this one down the leg side and Marizanne Kapp glanced it away for a four through fine leg. With that shot, South Africa raced to the mark of 50 at the loss of two wickets. This partnership between Kapp and Laura Wolvaardt is turning the tables for them.

SAW 50/2 (11.4)

Local girl Shree Charani was handed the ball at the end of the 10th over. She started with two tight deliveries before Marizanne Kapp smashed her down the ground for a six. It was a superbly timed shot from the SA star. She followed it up with a four on the fifth ball of the over.

SAW 44/2 (11)

Just one run came off the second over of Sneh Rana. India have things under control at the moment. They started with twin blows and kept South Africa's scoring rate in check in the powerplay. What would concern them a bit is the fact that Laura Wolvaardt is looking in great touch.

SAW 34/2 (10)

A short ball from Kranti Gaud and Laura Wolvaardt muscled it away for a four through the right of mid-on fielder. Gaud followed it with another short ball and that had the same result - a boundary. 8 runs in 2 balls.

SAW 31/2 (8.3)

6.1 - It was a short ball from Kranti Gaud outside off-stump and Marizanne Kapp slashed it really hard. The ball went to Pratika Rawal, who dived to her right and put both his hands on the line of the ball. It popped out her hands and fell on the ground. India have missed a huge opporunity here.

A second wicket for India! It was a good length ball well outside off-stump. Sune Luus chased it and paid the price. She ended up edging it to Richa Ghosh behind the stumps. India are right on top of this game now. 

Luus c Richa Ghosh b Amanjot Kaur 5(9) 

Kranti Gaud bowled a short ball with width on offer and Laura Wolvaardt smashed it away for a four through point.

It was an LBW appeal against Sune Luus. Umpire was unconvinced but India decided to go upstairs. The TV umpire found out that there was a bottom edge before the ball hit the front pad, and that saved the batter. Had there not been the bat, Luus would have been a goner.

Kranti Gaud has taken a superb catch on return top dismiss Tazmin Brits. The right-handed batter drove the ball to the left of Gaud, who showed great awareness and grabbed the ball with her left hand. India captain Harmanpreet Kaur couldn't hide her emotions as she ran in delight. South Africa are one down early in the chase.

Tazmin Brits c and b Kranti Gaud 0(3)

A tad short from Amanjot Kaur and Laura Wolvaardt has pulled it for a four. She picked it from outside the off-stump and the beat the mid-on fielder to her right for the boundary. That is the first one of the innings for the Proteas.

It was a tight first over from Kranti Gaud. She conceded just a single in it, that too came when Laura Wolvaardt got an inside edge on it.

Laura Wolvaardt and Tazmin Brits are out there in the middle. Wolvaardt will take the strike, Kranti Gaud will bowl the first over. Here we go... A length ball from Gaud and Wolvaardt defends it. South Africa's chase begins!

What a knock this was from Richa Ghosh! At one point, India feared getting bundled out under 150, but Richa's sensational innings has provided them a lot to fight in this game. She started a bit slow and then paced her knock really well. The batter went berserk towards the end as India scored 98 runs in the last 10 overs.

Richa Ghosh missed out on a deserving hundred but she helped India post a good total on the board. The wicketkeeper-batter smashed 94 runs off just 77 balls with the help of 11 fours and four sixes. India have 251 runs on the board. From 102/6, they have posted a total of over 250. What a comeback!

INDW 251 (49.5)

An 88-run partnership for the 8th wicket has been finally broken, but it is too late for South Africa now as India have already posted a good total. They were 102 for 6 at one stage but have bounced back strongly from there. 

19 runs came off the over from Ayabonga Khaka. Richa Ghosh smashed the player for two fours and six, while Sneh Rana also hit a four in the over. Meranwhile, Richa scripted a world record. She is now the batter with the highest number of runs at No.8 or lower in a Women's World Cup match. She has also become the Indian player with fastest 1000 runs Women's ODIs.

India crossed the mark of 200 in the 46th over. They still have four overs left in this innings. With Richa Ghosh in the middle, they should aim to get something around 240, which could be a fighting total.

INDW 203/7 (46)

Richa Ghosh raced to her half-century on the penultimate ball of the over. She took 53 balls in her innings to race to the milestone. What a knock this has been, but the work is not done yet! India have 36 balls left in this innings and they need Richa till the end to post a fighting total.

11 runs came off this over from Nonkululeko Mlaba. Sneh Rana smashed the spinner for two consecutive fours at the start of the over. India are on the charge here. They are scoring runs at a quick pace now. 20 have come off the last two.

INDW 174/7 (43)

On the fourth ball of the over, Nadine de Klerk bowled a fuller delivery and Richa Ghosh smoked it over the deep mid-wicket for a biggie. She moved to 45 with that shot, just five runs shy of a terrific fifty. India have eight more overs left in this innings.

Amanjot Kaur departs! The pressure of poor strike rate gets better of the batter. She danced down the track and wanted to hit it over the mid-off fielder but failed to do so. The right-handed batter was caught in the flight and ended up handing a catch to the fielder there. The 51-run partnership for 7th wicket ends.

Amanjot Kaur c Luus b Chloe Tryon 13(44)

Nonkululeko Mlaba tossed one up and Richa Ghosh pushed it to wide of extra cover for a single. With it, India raced to the mark of 150 runs. They got there with a lot of struggle, but they are still in this, fighting to post a respectable total.

On the fifth ball of the over, Nonkululeko Mlaba bowled a fuller delivery and Richa Ghosh paddled it through fine leg for a four. 13 runs have come off the last two overs for India. They are going really well here after a suffering a mini collapse.

INDW 143/6 (37)

A fuller ball from Tumi Sekhukhune in the slot and Richa Ghosh has smashed it for a biggie over the cow corner. This is turning out to be a really good partnership for India. Richa and Amanjot Kaur have now added 34 runs off 55 balls for the 7th wicket so far.  

Runs for India! It was a fuller ball down the leg side from Chloe Tryon and Richa Ghosh swept it away for a four through the fine leg. Only if Richa continues to bat like this, India could post a fighting total against South Africa.

INDW 122/6 (32.1) 

Richa Ghosh smashed Ayabonga Khaka for a four on the first ball of the over. The next five deliveries were dot balls. India are completely on the back foot. The biggest challenge for them is to play their entire quota of 50 overs from this point. They still have 120 balls left.  

Richa Ghosh has smashed it down the ground for a four and that is a boundary for India after a long period of time. They need many more like this to make a comeback in this game. All of their hopes rely on Richa, a powerful hitter of the ball. 

INDW 109/6 (28.3)

Deepti Sharma is out and India find themselves in deep trouble now. They are six down in the game. It was a harmless delivery from Marizanne Kapp down the leg side and Deepti ended up edging that to the wicketkeeper.

Deepti Sharma c Sinalo Jafta b Kapp 4(14)

That is a massive blow of India! Harmanpreet Kaur has been dismissed by Chloe Tryon. That is the second wicket for the spinner and she has put India in trouble here. They are five down with just 100 runs on the board.

Kaur c Kapp b Chloe Tryon 9(24)

A wide delivery from Chloe Tryon to start the 25th over and that sees India race to the mark of 100 runs. They have reached there really slow but won't mind it by the time Harmanpreet Kaur is in the middle. 

INDW 100/4 (24)

South Africa are in complete command. They have reduced India to four down. It was a flighted delivery from Chloe Tryon. Jemimah Rodrigues went to play a sweep shot but missed the ball. It hit her on the front pad and umpire raised his finger over an appeal for LBW. The batter reviewed it but the wicket was on umpire's call.

Rodrigues lbw b Chloe Tryon 0(4)

Set batter Pratika Rawal is OUT and India are truly under pressure now! It is a poor shot from Pratika that leads to her dismissal. It was a nothing delivery as Tumi Sekhukhune bowled it fuller on the pads of the batter. Pratika went for the flick early and ended up finding a leading edge to give an easy catch.

Pratika Rawal c Tazmin Brits b Sekhukhune 37(56)  

Pratika Rawal is batting well, while Harmanpreet Kaur, one of India's best players, is also out there in the middle. This is a crucial pair for India Women. They need a solid partnership from this point to get back in the game. For now, South Africa have things under control.

That is a terriric delivery from Nonkululeko Mlaba to get the better of Harleen Deol. The spinner didn't start this over well but ended it with a wicket. It was a flighted delivery that turned and beat the defence of Deol. India Women captain Harmanpreet Kaur comes in to bat.

Harleen Deol b Mlaba 13(23)

INDW 83/2 (17)

It was tad fuller from Nadine de Klerk outside off-stump and Harleen Deol carved it through the backward point for a four. That is the first boundary for India's number 3. A total of five runs came off the over.

This is a good comeback from South Africa. India were off to a solid start but with the wicket of Smriti Mandhana, the Proteas are back in the game. They have been bowling tight overs on trot and that sees India's scoring rate dip below five.

She broke a world record but continues her poor form in the ongoing ICC Women's World Cup! Smriti Mandhana is out for 23. It was a tossed up delivery from Nonkululeko Mlaba and Mandhana hit it right into the hands of the fielder at long-on. India are one down. 

Mandhana c Luus b Mlaba 23(32)

Smriti Mandhana has scripted a world record. She is now the batter with most runs in a calendar year in Women's ODIs. The southpaw now has 979 runs to her credit in the ongoing year. She has broken the record of Belinda Clark, who had scored 970 runs for Australia Women in the year 1997.

INDW 52/0 (9.1)

Ayabonga Khaka pitched it up slightly outside off-stump and Smriti Mandhana manages to connect one. She came down the track and smashed it down the ground for a biggie. That is the first boundary for India's star opener. 

INDW 42/0 (7.1)

Marizanne Kapp fared much poorly this time. She conceded 10 runs in the over that also included a no-ball. Pratika Rawal smashed a four on the free-hit and then another one on the very next delivery. She is firing on all cylinders at the moment. The right-handed batter got a life as she was caught in front of the stumps but Kapp had overstepped while delivering the ball.

Pratika Rawal smashed Ayabonga Khaka for a four on the first ball of the over. It was a fuller ball with width on offer and Rawal drove it on the off side for a boundary. A total of 8 runs came off the over. Smriti Mandhana, meanwhile, is off to slow start. She has scored just two off the 10 balls faced so far.

Ayabonga Khaka started well. She conceded just four runs in this over and kept both Smriti Mandhana and Pratika Rawal in check with tight lines. Early signs suggest that this is a good batting track with swing on offer for pacers early on.

That was a good first over for India! Pratika Rawal smashed Marizanne Kapp for two fours in the over. The first one went through fine leg, while the second one was punched for a four through the cover. Eight runs came off the over.

INDW 8/0 (1)

Pratika Rawal and Smriti Mandhana are out there in the middle to open for India. Marizanne Kapp has the new ball in hand. She will bowl the first one to Pratika. Here we go... That is a poor delivery from Kapp to start with! She sprayed it on the pads of Pratika and the right-handed batter glanced it away for a four through fine leg.

Both the teams have lined up for their respective national anthems. South Africa start with theirs, that of India will follow. Don't go anywhere the match is set to start in just some minutes from now.

India captain Harmanpreet Kaur: We are batting first, hopefully we'll be able to get a good result. They've (the supporters) been great. Every time they're in the stadium to support us, hopefully we'll play good cricket and win today then. We have one change - Amanjot is back in place of Renuka. Every game I think we need to keep showing improvement and today is a very important match for us and I'm sure we're going to play good cricket. The first two games we wanted to win and we did exactly what we wanted to do and now every game is very important. We just want to keep doing the good things again and again.

SA skipper Laura Wolvaardt: We're going to have a bowl first today, obviously a bit of rain around, so hopefully there's a bit of movement up early. Looks like a very nice wicket, hopefully it's even nicer under lights later, should be pretty high-scoring. We've got one change, Tumi Sekhukhune in for Klaas. What a change a couple of days make. Very happy with how quickly we put that game behind us and hopefully we can have another good one today. (On Brits' form) It's been so amazing. Long may that form continue in this World Cup. She's been great and I've had the best view of all, standing at the other end. (On facing India) Very exciting day for us. Trying not to think about that too much though, just want to take it one ball at a time and hopefully come out on the right end today.

The Proteas will bowl first. Both teams make a change each. Klaas goes out, Sekhukhune comes in for South Africa. For India, Amanjot comes in for Renuka.

South Africa XI: Laura Wolvaardt (capt), Tazmin Brits, Sune Luus, Marizanne Kapp, Anneke Bosch, Sinalo Jafta (wk), Chloe Tryon, Nadine de Klerk, Tumi Sekhukhune, Ayabonga Khaka, Nonkululeko Mlaba

India XI: Smriti Mandhana, Pratika Rawal, Harleen Deol, Harmanpreet Kaur (capt), Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh (wk), Amanjot Kaur, Sneh Rana, Kranti Goud, Shree Charani

Bad news coming up from the center as wet outfield has delayed toss once again. Players continue to warm up. Toss is now scheduled for 3:30pm local time, with the first ball at 4pm local time. No overs lost so far.

Some great news for the fans! That's the news we've been waiting for. So, the toss is now just minutes away at 3:15 PM, with the first ball of this crucial contest scheduled for 3:45 PM IST. No reduction in overs means we get the full fifty-over spectacle! The sun is finally breaking through, the covers are gone, and you can feel the energy as the players hit the field for their final warm-ups

A bit of sun is out now in Vizag but there’s a prediction for more rain around 6 pm local time. Covers are being folded and drained as the players continue their warm-up routine in the middle. The next inspection is scheduled at 3:10 PM IST.

India batter Pratika Rawal hoping to make it big against South Africa after getting off to fine starts in the last two matches. 

She said: "Both the games for us have been challenging, both the opponents were tremendous. The good thing about our team is that we have a lot of depth in our batting. Whenever there's doubt, someone raises their hand and gets us through that. It's very good to see that depth and there's a lot of confidence. I think I'm just making a few errors. I'm trying to make less errors in the upcoming games. I had a good start in both the games, I just need to convert it. I think it's part and parcel of the game, as a batter, I think you just need one ball to get out. With her (Smriti Mandhana), I don't think there's some issue that's going on. My role remains the same even if she gets out. I'm playing in the same way that the team requires. So, in order for me to play a longer innings, the role doesn't change. So, it's just one or two matches that we did not get a good start. But I'm pretty confident that we're going to get a good start in this match."

Toss has been delayed in Vizag due to a wet outfield. There will be an inspection at 2:45pm local time, which is about 8 minutes from now.

After a 10-wicket drubbing at the hands of England, South Africa regained some lost ground with a six-wicket triumph of their own, against New Zealand, last time out. The Proteas will be buoyed by the form of Tazmin Brits, who smashed a match-winning century against New Zealand, and they'll hope their top-order batters, including captain Laura Wolvaardt and veterans Marizanne Kapp and Anneke Bosch, can arrive to the party as well.

India's first two wins (against Sri Lanka and Pakistan) were far from their perfect game, mainly due to the struggles of Smriti Mandhana, skipper Harmanpreet Kaur and Jemimah Rodrigues. The hosts would be desperate to see them fire on all cylinders, as the trio aims to regain top gear ahead of the Knockouts.

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the Women's World Cup match between hosts India and South Africa. The stakes couldn't be clearer: a win for the hosts, India, would send a strong signal, not just by earning two viral points, but by momentarily claiming the top spot on the eight-team table. South Africa, however, have proven to be exceptionally tough competition, riding a wave of confidence and resilience. This is a battle of ambition versus resurgence. This promises to be a thrilling encounter.