‘Fabulous victory!’: Sachin Tendulkar, AB de Villiers and Rishabh Pant lead praise as India storm into Women’s World Cup final

Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar led the chorus of praise after India’s women’s team pulled off a stunning record-breaking chase to beat defending champions Australia and storm into the ICC Women’s ODI World Cup final at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on Thursday.

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Powered by a century for the ages from Jemimah Rodrigues (127 off 134) and a captain’s knock of 89 off 88 by Harmanpreet Kaur, India chased down a mammoth 339-run target — the highest successful chase in Women’s World Cup history — to seal a five-wicket win and book a date with South Africa in Sunday’s final.




Tendulkar hailed the victory as “fabulous”, writing on X: “Fabulous victory! Well done @JemiRodrigues and @ImHarmanpreet for leading from the front. Shree Charani and @Deepti_Sharma06, you kept the game alive with the ball. Keep the tricolour flying high.”

India’s chase began shakily at 47 for 2 after the early exits of Shafali Verma (10) and Smriti Mandhana (24), but Jemimah and Harmanpreet turned the tide with a majestic 167-run third-wicket stand that combined composure, precision, and belief.

“A match full of heart, fight and belief. Congratulations to our Indian women’s team for making it to the finals,” wrote Rishabh Pant, echoing the nation’s sentiment.

Even former South African great AB de Villiers couldn’t hold back his admiration, posting:

“Incredible chase by #TeamIndia to knock out the Aussies and end their win streak. Just the perfect chase against the mightiest of oppositions. Congratulations! It’s India v Proteas in the #CWC25Final once again — and we will have a new Champion.”

While Jemimah’s century was the defining moment, Harmanpreet’s fluent knock laid the foundation for the pursuit. The duo’s partnership steadied India’s nerves and kept pace with Australia’s tempo — at the 30-over mark, India’s 189/2 matched Australia’s 193/2.

Late cameos from Deepti Sharma (24) and Richa Ghosh (26 off 16) ensured the chase stayed on track, before Amanjot Kaur sealed the win with nine balls to spare.

Earlier, Phoebe Litchfield’s 119 and Ellyse Perry’s 77 had powered Australia to 338 all out, but India’s batters scripted a chase that will go down in World Cup folklore.
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