The emotions ran high at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch on Sunday. India, finalists at the previous edition of the Women's World Cup, exited the tournament by the smallest of margins. A spirited South Africa pulled-off a last-ball thriller to break a billion Indian hearts.
The final over of the contest was not for the faint-hearted. Chasing 275 for victory, South Africa needed seven runs off six balls, Mithali Raj tossed the ball to off-spinner Deepti Sharma, who nearly delivered. Trisha Chetty was run out off the second ball. With the equation down to three runs from two balls, Mignon du Preez (52 n. o), eyeing a winning shot, succeeded only in finding Harmanpreet Kaur at the long-on boundary. Even as the Indian players celebrated, agony awaited as Deepti had overstepped by a small margin. Du Preez then scored the winning runs as the teary-eyed Indians watched in dismay.
India's three-wicket loss meant the West Indies qualified for the semifinals as the fourth team behind Australia, South Africa and England.
While the last-over was agonising, India were left with many ifs and buts in the last league outing. On a surface which delighted the batters, India were clearly 20 runs short. An in-form Shafali Verma's (53, 46b, 8x4) run out in the 15th over following a mix-up with Smriti Mandhana (71, 84b, 6x4, 1x6) dipped the run rate. Another telling blow to their run rate was just 41 runs came off the last 10 overs of their innings, at a time when they should have accelerated.
Earlier, Smriti and Shafali gave India a solid start, blunting the South African attack with their stroke-filled association of 91 runs. Yastika Bhatia made a quick exit, but Mithali, playing her last match, steadied the innings with her 84-ball 68 (8x4). With Smriti, she put up 90 runs for the third wicket. Pacer Masabata Klass broke the well-settled partnership when Smriti miscued to Chloe Tryon, who dived to hold on to a difficult catch at mid-off.
Following Mithali's dismissal in the 43rd over, India lost some quick wickets but Harmanpreet Kaur (48) held up one end as India finished at a healthy 274/7.
Harmanpreet's (2/42) contribution did not end with the bat, she gave India crucial breakthroughs later with the ball. She excelled in the field as well. A direct hit from midwicket ensured opener Lizelle Lee was dismissed early in the chase. Laura Wolvaardt (80) and Lara Goodall (49) put SA back on track with their 125-run partnership, which hurt India's chances.
Although they were guilty of running themselves out, the South African middle-order stood up for the count at crucial junctures to ensure they pulled off a record chase. For India, Rajeshwari Gayakwad (2/61) was the only other bowler to pick up wickets. India missed the services of veteran pacer Jhulan Goswami, who sat out due to a side strain. It was the first time she missed a World Cup match in five editions.
SCORES: India 274/7 (Smriti Mandhana 71, Mithali Raj 68, Shafali Verma 53; Masabata Klaas 2/38) lost to South Africa 275/7 (Laura Wolvaardt 80, Mignon du Preez 52; Harmanpreet Kaur 2/42)
