Proteas pull off thriller

It was a day dedicated to number eight batters, as Nadine de Klerk overpowered a blistering innings from Indian wicketkeeper Richa Ghosh to help South Africa stun the hosts by three wickets in Visakhapatnam, throwing the ICC Women’s World Cup points table wide open.

With the win, the Proteas women jumped to fourth place, while India slipped to third. Nadine became the second-highest run-scorer batting at number eight or lower in women’s ODIs — only behind Richa — with both records set in the same match.

Chasing 252, Nadine struck an unbeaten 84 off 54 balls, studded with eight fours and five sixes, dominating the pursuit to hand India their first defeat of the tournament — and a significant one. Entering at 142 for 6, she, along with Chloe Tryon (49), guided South Africa to an unexpected win with a 69-run stand for the seventh wicket. Earlier, Richa Ghosh had crafted a decisive 77-ball 94 — the highest score by a batter at number eight in Women’s ODI World Cup history. Remarkably, Nadine also came in at number eight to dash Indian hopes.

High ‘pitch’ chase

Eyeing a formidable target after losing half their side for under 100 runs, South Africa found a lifeline through captain Laura Wolvaardt (70) who laid the early foundation. Indian pacer Kranti Gaud struck early, dismissing opener Tazmin Brits without scoring, before veteran batters Marizanne Kapp (20), Sune Luus (5), Anneke Bosch (1), and Sinalo Jafta (14) failed in the middle, leaving the team at 81 for 5. Laura then added 51 for the sixth wicket with Chloe Tryon to steady the innings, reaching her fifty off 81 balls before Kranti broke the stand. After that, Chloe and Nadine dismantled the Indian attack. Captain Harmanpreet Kaur used six different bowlers, but none could halt Nadine’s charge.

Early debacle, Richa’s blitz

Earlier, Richa had salvaged India’s innings after another top-order failure. The side was looking at a disaster at 102/6, until Richa came heavily against Proteas women to ensure the side achieved a fighting total of 251. This is for the third time in the tournament, the Indian side posted a competitive total thanks to the contribution by middle-order batters.

In the previous match against Pakistan, she hammered 35 off 20 balls to provide a late push. She also now holds the record for India’s fastest ODI fifty, reaching it in only 26 balls. Luck favoured her as she was dropped twice, on 76 and 84, yet she missed her century after being caught off a waist-high full toss.

Openers Pratika Rawal (37) and Smriti Mandhana (23) added 55 runs in 10.2 overs, setting the tone for the Indian innings. Pratika and Harleen Deol (13) took India to 83 before Harleen’s dismissal triggered a collapse of five wickets for 19 runs. South African bowlers attacked precisely and appeared to enjoy their craft. Harleen fell to a beauty from Noku, Pratika edged to Tazmin Brits, Harmanpreet miscued against Chloe Tryon, Jemimah Rodrigues missed a sweep, and Deepti Sharma was caught down the leg side. Amanjot Kaur (13), returning from illness, added 51 with Richa but fell going for a big shot against Chloe.

A day of records for Ghosh

With 94 off 77 balls, Richa Ghosh became only the second Indian women’s wicketkeeper to surpass 1,000 ODI runs, after former cricketer Anju Jain, who amassed 1,729 runs in 65 innings at an average of 29.81. Richa now holds the world record for the highest individual ODI score by a batter at number eight or lower, surpassing Chloe Tryon’s 74 against Sri Lanka earlier this year. She is also the 12th Indian woman to reach the 1,000-run milestone in ODIs, achieving it in record pace — the fastest by an Indian and third fastest overall, reaching the mark in 1,010 balls, behind only Australia’s Ashleigh Gardner (917) and England’s Nat Sciver-Brunt (943). Across 44 ODIs, Richa has now hit 30 sixes, trailing only Smriti Mandhana (65 in 108 matches) and Harmanpreet Kaur (54 in 152 games).

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