Amanjot Kaur made the heart pop out of a billion and a half people when she juggled the catch of Laura Wolvarardt during the ongoing Women’s ODI World Cup Cup 2025 final. Notably, hosts India are taking on South Africa in the final of the tournament at the Dr. DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai.
The game hinged on the wicket of Laura Wolvaardt. The South African skipper was the architect of the chase. She held one end and played a memorable hand, scoring a century. While India kept picking up wickets and pushing towards the win, it was as if Laura Wolvaardt was not ready to give up.
In the 42nd over, Deepti Sharma created a false shot from Wolvaardt, and as the ball hung in the air, everyone looked over to Amanjot Kaur at deep mid-wicket. Kaur ran in and then positioned herself below the ball. But as the ball landed on her hand, it slipped out, she grabbed at it a couple of times, and it looked like the catch would spill. However, ultimately, Kaur dived and secured the catch, resulting in the wicket of the South African skipper.
Immediately after taking the catch, Kaur sighed in relief and lay down on the spot. The rest of the team gathered around her and were seen celebrating big. The celebration reflected the importance of the wicket.
State of the match
Earlier in the day, South Africa won the toss and sent India to bat. Shafali Verma played a classy knock of 87 runs from 78 deliveries. Her 104-run opening partnership with Smriti Mandhana laid the foundation for the team. Later, Deepti Sharma scored 58 runs off 58 deliveries, and Richa Ghosh played an effective cameo of 34 runs off 24 deliveries. This helped India pile 298 runs at the end of their 50 overs, asking South Africa to chase down a formidable total.
In the chase, South Africa made a steady start with Laura Wolvaardt and Tazmin Brits putting on 51 runs for the first wicket. After the fall of Brits, India started making a comeback. The hosts kept on picking up wickets at regular intervals and put South Africa under pressure. However, Laura Wolvaardt kept fighting from one end and standing in between India and the World Cup. It looked like she was the only hurdle India needed to cross and hence the importance of the catch from Kaur was even more.
