Rosa Simkin (@rosatalksball) – 02/02/25
South Africa U19s – 82/10 (20.0): van Voorst 23 (18) | Trisha 3/15 (4.0) & Sisodia 2/6 (4.0)
India U19s – 84/1 (11.2): Trisha 44* (33) & Chalke 26* (22) | Reyneke 1/14 (4.0)
India Under-19s Women win by 9 wickets
“You know in the start of the tournament I think I mentioned one thing, that we are here to dominate. We are here to make sure that India stays on top and we are definitely going to create this legacy of winning ICC trophies, winning a lot of trophies for India!” – Niki Prasad, India Captain
The stage is set in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, with fans filling the stands, and the captains ready for the toss. South Africa’s Kayla Reyneke has the coin in hand, and India’s Niki Prasad is unsuccessful in her call. South Africa elects to bat first. Both teams are unchanged.
This game is only the second final of the ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup, with the tournament in its second edition. During the 2023 tournament, held over 9,000 kilometers away, India overcame England to claim the inaugural trophy in South Africa—a feat Niki Prasad and her side will be hoping to replicate.
For South Africa, this match marks their first final and their first appearance in the knockout stages. They failed to advance past the Super Six stage during their home tournament, missing out on net run rate.
Both sides enter the final unbeaten.
The volunteers bring out the national flags and the umpires lead the players onto the pitch. India’s national anthem comes first, followed by South Africa’s. Both teams are ready. India take to the field following one final team talk from captain Niki Prasad, it will be Jemma Botha and Simone Lourens to open for South Africa.
The First Innings
Joshita takes the new ball for India, with Jemma Botha on strike. It is a tidy start for the pacer, as two full deliveries result in consecutive dot balls. By the fourth ball of the over, Botha adjusts to the length, launching it over the bowler’s head for four. The next delivery brings similar success for the South African as she flicks the ball for another boundary. Ten off the first over.
The ball now falls to Parunika Sisodia, bringing spin from the other end. A tight first over results in a breakthrough on the final ball, as a quicker delivery bowls Simone Lourens for a duck. Could this signal a shift in momentum? South Africa 11/1.
Two quick wickets follow for India. Shabnam gets Botha, who is caught behind by Kamalini at the end of the third over. Then, at the start of the fourth, Shukla tosses one up and hits the stumps to bowl Ramlakan for 3, marking the start of what will become a maiden over for the slow left-arm spinner. South Africa are struggling, with their total at 24/3 after five overs.
As the young Proteas look to rebuild, India’s bowling unit continues to apply pressure. Six overs pass without the fall of a wicket, but only 14 runs are conceded at a run rate of 2.3, leaving South Africa at 38/3 after 11. The pressure finally brings the wicket of South African skipper Reyneke for 7 (21) as she takes on a flighted delivery from Gongadi. The connection looks good enough, but she is caught at long-on!
As seems to be the pattern, another wicket follows in the next over. Shukla hits the stumps to remove Meso for 10. South Africa are 45/5 after 13.
In comes Mieke van Voorst, and with her, she brings a fightback. She hits three fours during her time at the crease before being stumped off the bowling of Gongadi for 23 (18). Unfortunately for South Africa, the momentum she builds is short-lived. Naidu is out on her first ball, missing an attempted scoop as the ball clatters into the stumps. Two in two for India, leaving South Africa at 74/7 with just two overs to go.
Cowling faces Sharma for the first ball of the 19th over. A six off the first delivery comes out of nowhere, but her success is short-lived as she drags one onto the stumps just two balls later. Vaishnavi Sharma then dismisses Legodi for a duck, as a mistimed shot results in her leg stump being knocked over. The final wicket falls on the last ball of the innings—van Wyk is caught at square leg by Sharma off Sisodia’s bowling after mistiming an attempted scoop. 5 wickets off their last 14 balls leave the side with only 82 runs to defend.
India seem to be in complete control of this final after a dominant display with the ball. South Africa are skittled for just 82 runs—a total that can only be described as under par in such a crucial match-up. After an aggressive start, India’s spin unit tightened its grip, limiting scoring options and piling on the pressure resulting in a dramatic batting collapse.
The Second Innings:
India have one hand on the trophy as they begin their chase of 89 runs. They are certainly the favorites! South Africa have work to do and will rely on early wickets to shift the momentum and apply pressure. However, against a side that has dominated with the bat in the early stages, it is a big ask.
The players are back out in the middle, and Nthabiseng Nini will take the new ball for South Africa. Kamalini is on strike, with Gongadi at the non-striker’s end. Game on.
After a single on the second delivery, Gongadi faces her first. She throws her hands at the ball, the pace of Nini assisting an edge to the boundary as it flies past the keeper for four. A couple of singles to rotate the strike provide a positive foundation for the side, as they reach 7/0 after the first over.
The pace of Cowling shares the new ball, and Kamalini takes a single off her first delivery. Gongadi drives the next for four after a full delivery from Cowling. Two legal deliveries later, she finds another boundary, this time whipping a full delivery over the covers for four. A wide off the following ball doesn’t help South Africa’s cause, and 11 runs are conceded from the over, helping India to 18/0 after two.
It’s now the turn of spin as captain Reyneke takes the ball for her first over of the game. The start is just as ominous, with Kamalini joining the fun, slogging a full ball for four. A couple of tight chances follow for South Africa, but fortune favors India. A tighter line from Reyneke restricts them to six runs from the over. India are 24/0.
Another bowling change as South Africa hunt for a breakthrough, with the leg-spin of Naidu introduced from the other end. Gongadi takes on the new challenge, hitting three boundaries in the over as India race towards their target, adding 12 more runs! They are 36/0 after four overs, with just 47 required from the remaining 16.
Reyneke stays on for her second and with it brings a breakthrough! She gets the wicket of Kamalini for 8 (13) as Lourens dives to her right to take take a superb catch! A wicket maiden for the skipper.
However, the wicket doesn’t change the momentum for the Indian side. Trisha Gongadi and Sanika Chalke combine to take their team over the line! Sanika Chalke hits one final four to take the team over the line. Their 48-run partnership from 41 deliveries, with the assistance of six further boundaries, helps them reach the target in just 11.2 overs!
India become the first team to lift the ICC U19 Women’s World Cup without facing a defeat and lift the trophy for the second consecutive tournament! They remain the only country to have held the silverware. Heartbreak for South Africa, ectasy for India!
“It means everything ma’am. First of all thank you! Right now I’m not able to say anything but thanks to my team for supporitng me. My support staff and thank you!” – Player of The Match & Tournament Gongadi Trisha on her accolades
“No I guess, back in the room in the hotel, what all three we talk about is nothing related to our bowling and all our bowling just came in, you know, with the game coming on and we just enjoy ourselves! And, you know keep telling each other a little bit of you know what the batters are doing, helping eachother at the point. At this point, I guess we are just eye contacting and we are understanding each other now.” – Parunika Sisodia on the Indian Spin Union
“This is a surreal feeling, I’ve dreamt of it from the past two years and I can’t believe it! I hit the winning runs and it’s.. I can’t explain the moment, I really want to thank our support staff who have shown such trust and belief in us and the teammates who have supported us throughout.” – Match Winner Sanika Chalke
“We are like family actually! We all are family.” – Vaishnavi Sharma
South Africa Captain – Kayla Reyneke
“Look, it’s a lot of emotions going on in the team, but, you know, I’ll never take anything away from this team and this management. We’ve worked very hard for this moment and I just want to thank everybody that’s been part of this journey. Thank you to everyone that organised it and just a special mention to my team. I couldn’t have asked for a better team! We’ve had a good run in the tournament and special mention to the management, you know, it’s tough to not to take the trophy home but we’re coming home with silverware!”
“Look, always say we never go down without a fight and that South African spirit, you know. That’s the phoenix inside of us. It’s here, it will always been in here in our hearts and we’ll come back stronger. This is motivation for us to come back stronger next World Cup 2027.” – How South Africa Can Rebuild
“Crazy! I couldn’t have asked for better you know. I’m getting goosebumps. I know we’re not bringing back the trophy. I’m sorry guys! You know it’s motivation for us. But I couldn’t have asked for any better support back at home.” – On The Fans
“Look it was a pretty good game, hat’s off to them! You know we know we’re going to get work, them coming hard at us. But yeah! Special mention to them and the management, you’ve done a pretty good job and it’s something to look up to, you know? But yeah! Enjoy the moment, take it in and all the best.” – On India’s Performance
