It was a night that will live forever in the memory of Indian cricket fans. Under the bright lights of the 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup semi-final, India produced one of the most sensational performances in tournament history.
Australia, known for their dominance on the biggest stages, batted first and posted a mammoth 338 on the board, a total giving more pressure on the occasion. But what followed was pure magic from the Indian camp. Driven by self-belief, precise execution, and fearless batting, India chased down the target in just 48.3 overs, sealing their spot in the World Cup final with the highest successful run chase ever recorded in Women’s ODI history.
Inside the dressing room, emotions overflowed. India’s fielding coach, Munish Bali, couldn’t hide his pride. Looking around the jubilant faces, he said, “What a match. If we had to beat Australia, we needed something special. Well done. You know how we have that saying, ‘You are going to make me cry?’ You really made me cry today.” His words perfectly captured the emotional high of the moment. The sense of unity, pride, and exhaustion that comes only with a truly special victory.
He then appreciated the team’s fielding efforts, something that often sets the tone in tight matches. “Renuka Thakur, excellent on the field. She saved at least 10 to 12 balls by running very fast. Her throws were spot on. Sree Charani, well done, good caught and bowled. Special mention – Kranti Gaud excellent commitment. For a fast bowler, it’s never easy to dive, but diving around, well done. The best fielding award tonight goes to only and only — one run-out, one brilliant catch. It’s Jemi.”
When Jemimah received her medal, her words reflected the heart behind the performance, “When I was batting around 85, I was really really tired Aru (Arundhati Reddy), Sneh (Rana), Uma (Chetry), everyone kept coming in, Harleen (Deol), kept coming in and you know, giving me water at that time. I had spoken to Deepti at that time. I told Deepti, “You know Deepu, please keep talking to me. I can’t do this.” Every single ball from there, Deepti was cheering, encouraging me. She even sacrificed her wicket for my one run. She told me when she was walking back, she was like, ‘It’s okay, you just go and finish the match.'”
“We talk about, I know sometimes there are special knocks, but it wouldn’t be possible without partnerships, it wouldn’t be possible without special cameos that goes unnoticed but Deepti’s knock, Richa’s knock, Aman’s (Amanjot Kaur) knock, took a lot of pressure off me. Obviously, me and Harry di (Harmanpreet Kaur) had a great partnership but in the past, it’s always happened like one of us lose our wicket, you know we go on to lose the match but today this Indian team changed that.”
Her final words summed up the mood perfectly, “Now that we’ve done all this, just one more to go.”
As India celebrated their unbelievable triumph, focus quickly shifted to the grand finale. The stage is set for India to meet South Africa in the 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup final on November 2 at DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai. Both nations will be fighting for their first ever ODI World Cup title, and if the semifinal was anything to go by, fans can expect another epic battle of heart, skill, and history in the making.
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