Synopsis
On February 2, in Kuala Lumpur, Trisha Gongadi's impressive bowling led India to dismiss South Africa for 82 runs in the final of the 2025 ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup. With spinners shining, India showcased their dominance on the pitch.Key Takeaways
- Trisha Gongadi was the standout bowler with three wickets.
- India's spinners took a total of nine wickets.
- South Africa was all out for 82 runs.
- Vaishnavi Sharma emerged as the tournament's leading wicket-taker with 17 wickets.
- India continues to dominate in the U19 World Cup.
Kuala Lumpur, Feb 2 (NationPress) Trisha Gongadi, the leading run-scorer of the tournament, achieved a remarkable feat by claiming three wickets in a brilliant bowling display as India dismissed South Africa for just 82 runs during the final of the 2025 ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup held at the Bayuemas Oval on Sunday.
Considered the showdown of two unbeaten teams, this much-anticipated final saw defending champions India dominate with their bowling, as spinners claimed nine wickets on a sluggish pitch, leaving South Africa in disarray after their decision to bat first backfired.
In addition to Trisha, the left-arm spin trio of Parunika Sisodia, Aayushi Shukla, and Vaishnavi Sharma each took two wickets, while fast bowler Shabnam Shakil claimed one wicket. Vaishnavi now holds a total of 17 wickets, making her the leading wicket-taker of this tournament.
Opting to bat first, Jemma Botha struck two boundaries off Joshitha VJ in a ten-run opening over. However, India responded quickly, with Parunika taking a wicket in the next over, dismissing Simone Lourens for a duck.
Feeling the pressure from a series of dot balls, Jemma attempted a risky cross-bat shot, resulting in a thick edge that was caught one-handed by G Kamalini off Shabnam's delivery. Aayushi soon joined the list of wicket-takers, bowling out Diara Ramlakan as South Africa stumbled to 29-3 by the end of the powerplay.
As runs continued to evaporate, India maintained the pressure with a stream of dot balls. South Africa captain Kayla Reyneke tried to relieve some of the pressure with a big shot but was caught at long-off, giving Trisha her first wicket of the match. Aayushi quickly followed up by taking down Karabo Meso's middle stump, leaving South Africa at 44/5 after 12.4 overs.
Fay Cowling and Mieke van Voorst formed a 30-run partnership that provided some respite for South Africa, but Trisha dismissed Mieke and Seshnie Naidu in quick succession, effectively sealing South Africa's fate of not reaching three figures.
Vaishnavi bowled out Fay and Monalisa Legodi, while Parunika had Ashleigh van Wyk caught out on the last ball of the innings, leaving South Africa with a paltry target of 83 for India to chase in their bid to defend their World Cup title.
Brief Scores: South Africa 82 all out (Mieke van Voorst 23, Fay Cowling 15; Trisha Gongadi 3-15, Parunika Sisodia 2-6) against India
