New Delhi, Nov 2 (IANS) India vice-captain Smriti Mandhana expressed her confidence for the women’s World Cup final against South Africa, saying that “the dream of winning the trophy is within reach” and everyone in the team has been “meticulous with their preparations.”

A new team will claim the coveted Women’s World Cup trophy for the first time when the tournament hosts, India, face South Africa in the final on Sunday here at DY Patil Stadium.

India registered a stunning five-wicket victory over seven-time champions Australia in the second semifinal, setting up a meeting with South Africa, who had defeated England in the first semifinal.

It’s the first time South Africa has featured in a Women’s World Cup Final, while India previously played in the final in 2005 and 2017, finishing as runners-up behind Australia and England, respectively.

“The World Cup is always special, but a home World Cup is something else altogether. I remember visiting the stadium a couple of months ago for an ad shoot and standing on the balcony thinking, ‘How amazing would it be if we win here on the 2nd?’ Now, that dream is within reach. Our focus as a team is to leave everything behind — whatever happened in the past or in the semi-final — and give 100 per cent in the final.

“Everyone has been meticulous with their preparations, whether in the gym or at training. As players, it’s in our hands how we prepare. I know a lot of dreams across India are connected with this final, and we will try our best to make those dreams come true — because fans will live those moments through our eyes,” Madhana said on JioHotstar.

During her campaign so far, Mandhana broke a 26-year-old world record by scoring the most runs in a calendar year in women’s One-day International cricket during the group stage match against South Africa on October 9. She then became the youngest and fastest player to reach 5000 runs in Women’s ODI cricket, achieving this during the match against Australia.

The 29-year-old batter achieved the milestone in her 112th Women’s ODI match with a six off Kim Garth of Australia, surpassing the record of Stafanie Taylor (WI), who scored 5000 runs in 129 matches.

Moreover, she surpassed New Zealand’s Suzie Bates (13 hundreds) to become the second-highest century-maker in women’s ODIs, with 14 centuries.

Speaking on her personal goals during this World Cup, the opener added, “In this World Cup, my only goal was to do whatever the team needed from me. In the past, I came in with personal targets — wanting to score specific runs or achieve certain milestones — but things rarely go exactly as planned. This time, my intention was very clear: to focus on preparation and execution rather than numbers.

“Personally, the only statistic I want to see is that ‘India has won the 2025 World Cup.’ That’s what will mean the most to me. As a batter, I’ve realized that you can’t overthink in cricket — it’s all about reacting to the ball. Whoever reacts best on the day will do well. So for me, it’s about staying calm, being present, and contributing in whichever way the team needs.”

Mandhana also reflected on India’s historic chase against Australia, and said, “I’m not used to such emotions, but there were definitely positive vibes throughout the team. All the girls are in a very good space, and most importantly, everyone is helping and celebrating each other’s success. I’ve always believed that this kind of energy reflects in performance.”

“When Australia scored over 340 in the first innings, we still believed we could chase it down — we had done it before against them. The partnership between Jemimah and Harman was unforgettable. Honestly, it’s harder to watch from inside than to play out there! But what a special effort from Jemimah, Harman, Richa, Deepti, and Amanjot — every contribution mattered.

“While everyone talks about the chase, I think the way our bowlers fought back between the 30th and 40th overs to restrict Australia to 340 was equally commendable,” she added.

–IANS

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