Cricket

The series decider was played at the Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam. KL Rahul, for a change, decided to do the toss with his left hand and, finally, after 20 consecutive toss defeats, India won the toss and opted to bowl first.

India’s 2–0 defeat to South Africa at home was more than a scoreline. It exposed deeper issues in preparation, selection and approach. From an Eden surface shaped by external influence to a free-flowing South African batting display in Guwahati, the series underlined the widening gap between stability and improvisation. As questions arise over India’s Test structure, this result stands as a clear reminder that the long format rewards clarity, not uncertainty.

The roar at the DY Patil Stadium shattered the silence of two decades. On a humid November evening in Navi Mumbai, as Harmanpreet Kaur caught the final wicket and Deepti Sharma completed her five wicket haul, the Indian women's cricket team finally erased the pain of 2005 and 2017. The trophy that had eluded them twice before was theirs. India defeated South Africa by 52 runs to become world champions for the first time.​

When India took the field in Navi Mumbai in pursuit of a world record target of 339 against the Seven-time champions as well as the defending champions, all eyes were set on Smriti, Harmanpreet and Richa. But for ardent followers of the women’s game, this Jemimah Magic would not come as a surprise. Her agility on the field is a testament to her agile mind that works like a computer in a run chase. Jemimah lacks physicality and strength.