Jemimah Rodrigues of India reacts after winning the ICC Women’s World Cup semi-final ODI cricket match between India Women and Australia Women, at DY Patil Stadium, in Navi Mumbai, Thursday, October 30, 2025. | Photo credit: KUNAL PATIL
The Indian women’s cricket team has stormed into the final of the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025, beating defending champions Australia by five wickets in a thrilling semi-final. Jemimah Rodrigues and Harmanpreet Kaur were the stars of the match and formed a crucial partnership that helped India chase a huge target of 339 runs, the highest ever run in women’s ODI cricket.
India successfully chased down Australia’s 338/10 with 9 balls remaining, setting a new record for the highest successful run chase in Women’s World Cup history.
Rodrigues played an unbeaten knock of 127 runs off 134 deliveries, including 14 boundaries. Harmanpreet Kaur scored 89 runs off 88 balls, including 10 boundaries and two sixes, and shared a 167-run partnership with Rodrigues.
A spellbinding century from Jemimah Rodrigues and her record-breaking partnership with skipper Harmanpreet Kaur helped India secure a place in the ICC Women’s World Cup match against South Africa, beating Australia by five wickets in a nail-biting semi-final at DY Patil in Navi Mumbai on Thursday.
A fantastic century from Phoebe Litchfield (119 in 93 balls, with 17 fours and three sixes) was the crown jewel of the Australian innings as they scored a whopping 338 runs. However, a 167-run stand between Jemimah Rodrigues (127* in 134 balls, with 14 boundaries) and Harmanpreet Kaur (89 in 88 balls, with 10 fours and two sixes) helped India overcome an early slump.
Cameos from Richa Ghosh (26* in 16 balls, with two fours and two sixes) and Amanjot Kaur (15* in eight balls, with two fours) helped India chase the highest ever target in women’s ODI history.
With India and South Africa in the final, the world will witness its first champion on November 2. After Australia opted to bat first at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai, Litchfield, along with an experienced Ellyse Perry, helped the Aussies overcome the early loss of captain Alyssa Healy, hitting 119 in 93 balls, with 17 fours and three sixes. Her runs had a strike rate of 127.95. Litchfield had a 155-run stand with Perry (77 in 88 balls, with six fours and two sixes), which provided a solid platform for the Aussies at 180/2 when Amanjot Kaur (1/51) rattled the centurion’s stumps. Shree Charani (2/49) and Radha Yadav (1/66) reduced Australia to 265/6, despite Perry’s half-century, in 41.4 overs.
However, a 66-run stand between Gardner (63 in 45 balls, with four boundaries and four sixes) and Kim Garth (17) took the Aussies past the 300-run mark. In the last few overs, the Aussies went from 331/7 to 338 all out, giving India a mammoth 339 runs to win. Litchfield’s knock made her the youngest to score a Women’s World Cup knockout century.
She continued her golden run against India, having scored 627 runs against India in nine innings at an average of 69.66, with two centuries, four fifties and a best score of 119. She has never been dismissed by India for less than 25 in the women’s ODIs.
She joined the company of skipper Healy (170* against England in the 2022 World Cup final and 129 against WI in the 2022 semi-final) and Karen Rolton (107* against India in the final of the 2005 edition) as the third Australian to score a century in a 50-over World Cup knockout match.
In the chase of 339 runs, the Aussies got exactly what they wanted. They prevented Shafali Verma (10 in four balls, with two fours) from impressing, reducing India to 13/1, with Kim Garth drawing first blood. Jemimah Rodrigues joined Smriti Mandhana at the crease and both kept the pace high, taking the side to the 50-run mark in 8.2 overs. Garth struck gold, removing a red-hot Smriti for a run-a-ball 24 (with two fours and a six), with the batsman giving a weak nick to Alyssa Healy behind the stumps. India were 59/2 in 9.2 overs, with the most in-form batsman out. Skipper
Harmanpreet Kaur started slowly while Jemimah collected boundaries at the other end to help India reach the 100-run mark in 17 overs. The duo reached a stand of fifty runs in just 53 balls. Rodrigues made the most of her promotion at the top and reached the 50-run mark in 57 balls, with eight fours, while the skipper anchored from the other end. The duo went all out against the Aussies, bringing up their 100-run and 150-run partnerships in 99 and 140 balls respectively.
Kaur also continued her hot streak in 50-over knockouts, registering a half-century in 65 balls. This was her third score of over fifty in the third 50-over World Cup knockout match, just shy of Australian legend Belinda Clark (with four such scores in six innings). India were on the 200-run mark in 31.2 overs.
With every close call, missed catch and futile call, tensions within the Aussie camp increased. A poor shot from the skipper ended a 167-run stand between the two, which was undone by Australia’s golden arm Annabel Sutherland, with Gardner taking an easy catch at deep mid-wicket. Harman finished with 89 in 88 balls, with 10 fours and three sixes. India were 226/3 in 35.3 overs.
This 167-run stand proved to be India’s highest in women’s knockout matches at the World Cup for any wicket, surpassing Harmanpreet and Deepti Sharma’s 137-run stand in the semi-finals of the 2017 edition against the same opponent. But there was still a lot to be done, despite this record-breaking collaboration. Deepti was sent next. Although she showed great intent with some boundaries, a bad call for a run led to her being bowled out for a 17-ball 24, with three fours. India lost four wickets for 264 runs in 40.5 overs. The tie was broken again at 38 runs, disrupting India’s chase. With a single against Megan Schutt, Rodrigues reached her third ODI ton in just 115 balls, with 10 fours.
She became only the second Indian to score a World Cup knockout ton after Harmanpreet’s 171* against Australia in the 2017 World Cup semi-finals. India’s attacking intentions, as highlighted by a mammoth six from Richa Ghosh from long on, saw India chasing 63 in the last eight overs. Richa continued to steer India to a win, with a four against Sutherland and a four and six in Gardner’s over. India were left with 34 to go into the last five overs. India had reached the 300-run mark in 44.4 overs. Sutherland’s golden arm worked its magic as Richa handed an easy catch to Garth on backward point as he attempted a slice. The wicketkeeper-batsman was back for 26 in 16 balls, with two fours and two sixes. India were 310/5 and needed 29 in 24 balls.
Sophie Molineux’s 47th over yielded just six runs despite a boundary on Jemimah’s first ball, leaving India needing 23 in the last three overs. Sutherland’s 48th over cooled some pressure as two wides and two fours from Jemimah reduced the equation to 10 runs in 14 balls. The equation came down to eight in the last two overs. In the penultimate over, Amanjot shaved the rest of the deficit to take India to a win with nine balls remaining.
Brief scores: India: 341/5 in 48.3 overs (Jemimah Rodrigues 127*, Harmanpreet Kaur 89, Kim Garth 2/46) defeated Australia: 338 in 49.5 overs (Phoebe Litchfield 119, Ellyse Perry 77, Shree Charani 2/49).
Published on October 30, 2025
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