The toss for the India vs South Africa Women's World Cup final has been delayed due to rain in Navi Mumbai on Sunday, November 2. The quadrennial event will see a new champion crowned after India beat defending champions and seven-time winners Australia by five wickets in the second semi-final on Thursday. South Africa, on the other hand, hammered four-time champions England by 125 runs in the first semi-final a day earlier. Fans gathered in huge numbers at the Dr D.Y. Patil Stadium, despite the heavy rainfall ahead of the toss. (IND vs SA, Women's World Cup Final Live Updates)
While the toss was scheduled for 2:30 PM, the match was supposed to start 30 minutes after that. However, there was a further delay with more rainfall and a wet outfield.
Is there a Reserve Day for the Women's World Cup final?
In case the match is washed out or cannot be completed on the original day, the organizers have put a reserve day (Monday) in place for such scenarios.
What happens if the Reserve Day is also washed out?
If no play is possible on both days, the two teams will share the trophy. The ICC will make all efforts to get it completed on Sunday itself-even if it is a shortened game.
The first spell of rain had started around noon, and it has been going on and off since then. The ground staff was forced to bring out the covers, and the rain ensured that players stayed put inside the dugout and did not come out for their pre-match warm-up.
However, things brightened around 2:30 PM, before the original scheduled time for the toss, as the rain stopped and the sun came out briefly. A big cheer went up as the ground staff started removing the covers for an inspection by the umpires, as there are areas beyond the circle that have puddles that can be spotted from afar.
But the downpour started again, and this time it was stronger than the previous spell. As of now, there will be no impact on the number of overs, and the reduction will start only after a two-hour delay, unlike the group-stage matches, which started after one hour.
(With IANS Inputs)