Women's World Cup: Richa Ghosh's stunning 94 went in vain as Nadine de Klerk powered South Africa to a 3-wicket win

Nadine de Clerk countered Richa Ghosh sparkling half-century with a brilliant 84 not out to stun India in the Women's World Cup clash in Visakhapatnam on Thursday.

Wolvaardt played the anchor, holding things together with a dogged 70 off 111 balls, even as wickets tumbled at the other end. She built a vital 61-run stand with Tryon before falling to Kranti Goud in the 36th over—her stumps knocked over just as things were getting twitchy.

Tryon, calf strapped up and visibly in discomfort, tried to push on but couldn’t quite hit top gear. Thankfully for South Africa, de Klerk came out swinging—and didn’t stop.

With 81 needed off the last 10 overs, de Klerk turned the match on its head with a fearless 84 off just 54 balls, peppered with 8 boundaries and 5 towering sixes. She wrapped it up in style—with a thunderous maximum that left no doubt who the star of the night was.

India had their moment of hope with 41 needed from the final four overs. Goud began the 47th with a wide, then served up a couple of short ones that de Klerk happily dispatched for sixes, sandwiching a four. Eighteen runs off the over, momentum gone.

In the next, she cracked a couple more boundaries off Deepti Sharma before launching Amanjot Kaur for two more sixes in the penultimate over. Along the way, Tryon fell LBW—review unsuccessful—and Ghosh hobbled off with a hamstring niggle, echoing Pant’s T20 World Cup moment. But this time, it was India who unravelled.

De Klerk, calm as you like, rotated strike when needed and punished anything loose. Needing 12 off the final two overs, she sealed the deal with back-to-back sixes—one over midwicket, the other soaring over long-on.

Wolvaardt punched the air, the small South African contingent made more noise than the home fans, and de Klerk walked off match-winner.

Chasing 252 for their second successive win, the Proteas got off to a rocky start. Kranti Gaud lit up the third over with a moment of brilliance — a caught-and-bowled straight out of a highlight reel — to send the in-form Tazmin Brits packing for a three-ball duck. South Africa wobbled at 6 for 1, and Gaud was flat on her back, clutching the ball after an instinctive left-handed grab. Her teammates swarmed her like she’d just sealed the match.

Captain Laura Wolvaardt and Sune Luus tried to steady the ship, each nudging a boundary to get things moving. But Amanjot Kaur wasn’t having it. She struck in the sixth over, removing Luus for five and leaving the visitors scratching their heads at 18 for 2.

In walked the ever-composed Marizanne Kapp, hoping to wrest back control. Wolvaardt showed intent with two crisp boundaries off Gaud, while Kapp welcomed Shree Charani with a six and a four — the rebuild was on.

Their 39-run stand for the third wicket gave South Africa a glimmer of hope, but just as things began to simmer, Sneh Rana entered the fray. She knocked over Kapp for 20 with a delivery laced with magic, and the Vizag crowd exploded. Music blared, fans danced in the



aisles, and the stadium turned into a sea of waving phone flashlights.

It didn’t stop there. Captain Laura held her ground at one end while wickets kept tumbling at the other. Deepti Sharma took a sharp return catch to dismiss Anneke Bosch for just one run. Shortly after, wicketkeeper Sinalo Jafta fell cheaply as Shree Charani trapped her LBW, bringing South Africa to a precarious 81 for 5.

At this critical juncture, Chloe Tryon joined her skipper at the crease. The pair patiently negotiated the spinners, steadily adding 61 crucial runs for the sixth wicket. Meanwhile, Wolvaardt reached a landmark, scoring her 10th fifty-plus in the Women’s World Cup, before Kranti finally cleaned her up for a well-made 70.

This is the moment when the crowd in Vizag thought the win was in the bag. However, De Klerk and Tryon put on a 69-run stand before Sneh Rana got the latter. But then De Klerk took matters into her own hands as she hit two consecutive sixes and a boundary off Gaud's over to give the Proteas women the momentum.

She got to her fifty and then smashed a couple of sixes off Amanjot to seal the win.

Enter Richa Ghosh, striding in at No. 8 with more swagger than stress. Amanjot briefly eased the pressure with a boundary off Tryon, but it was Richa who began shifting the mood. In the 37th over, she launched a six over deep mid-wicket, then glanced Mlaba fine for four. Amanjot added another boundary but departed soon after, trying to clear the circle. Tryon claimed her third wicket, ending a promising 51-run partnership.

In came Sneh Rana — and the innings finally clicked into rhythm. Richa brought up her half-century off just 53 deliveries, prompting a standing ovation from the dugout and a surge of noise from the Vizag crowd. Her strokeplay had guts, clarity, and flair — qualities India had sorely lacked during their earlier collapse.

Rana played the perfect foil at the death. Her four boundaries in the final overs kept the foot on the throttle as the pair added more than 50 runs in just six overs, taking India past the 200 mark in the 45th over.

Then came the fireworks. The 47th over went for 23 runs — Richa went ballistic, with the crowd roaring “Richa! Richa!” echoing around the stadium. As she edged closer to a maiden World Cup century, the atmosphere turned electric. “We want more!” chanted the stands.

What followed was a rescue act fit for the big screen. Ghosh smashed four sixes and 11 fours in a blistering 77-ball knock, pivotal in lifting India to a strong total after a dramatic collapse had left them reeling. She rewrote the record books, becoming the highest run-scorer at No. 8 in women’s ODI history.

Rana eventually departed for a vital 33 off 24, laced with four boundaries. Richa’s fairytale finish, though, was cruelly cut short on 94 — a no-ball check went South Africa’s way. Gutting. But by then, the damage was done. The innings unfolded in three acts: a brisk 55 in the powerplay, a sluggish 98 through the middle 30 overs, and a blistering 98 in the final ten.