Top 3 reasons why India-W lost to South Africa-W in the Women's World Cup 2025 match 10

In Match 10 of the ICC Women’s  World Cup 2025, South Africa Women defeated India Women by three wickets with seven balls to spare at the Dr. Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Stadium in Visakhapatnam on Thursday, October 9. This victory allowed the Proteas to take their unbeaten record against India in the Women's World Cup to 3-0. It was also their second straight victory in this year’s tournament, while India suffered their first loss at home.

After winning the toss and deciding to bat first, India started off well, having scored 55 runs within the first 10 overs. Smriti Mandhana (23) and Pratika Rawal (37) were looking good initially, but after the loss of the first wicket, the middle order fell apart in a hurry. Chloe Tryon and Nonkululeko Mlaba were key wicket-takers to break India's momentum. Richa Ghosh batted fantastically to score 94 runs from 77 balls, scoring 11 fours and four sixes to guide India to 251. Tryon was South Africa's best bowler with figures of 3 for 32, while Mlaba, Nadine de Klerk, and Tumi Sekhukhune also made valuable contributions with the wickets.

In pursuit of 252, South Africa started slowly and lost a couple of early wickets. But captain Laura Wolvaardt (70) calmed the innings through her measured batting. She established key partnerships with Chloe Tryon (49) and Nadine de Klerk, who played a brilliant innings to guide South Africa to victory. De Klerk’s unbeaten 84 off just 54 balls, filled with powerful shots, helped South Africa cross the line with a huge six in the final over. Despite losing, India remained on top of South Africa in the points table because of a superior net run rate. Below are the main reasons for the India Women defeat:

1. Lack of strong partnerships

India's batters could not build big partnerships after a good start. The middle order collapsed in quick succession and the team were floundering at 102 for 6. Although Richa Ghosh and Sneh Rana added a partnership of 88 runs, by this point the earlier wickets did mean that India could not post a bigger total that would challenge South Africa.

See Also: Women's World Cup 2025 Match 11: NZ-W vs BAN-W head-to-head, stadium stats, predicted playing XIs & points table

2. Nadine de Klerk's stunning innings

Nadine de Klerk's fiery knock of 84* off 54 balls turned the game around. Her strength and composure throughout, particularly under pressure, enabled South Africa to amass the target with relative ease. Even though Indian bowlers were taking wickets at regular intervals, de Klerk’s composure and confidence took control of the match in the end.

3. Dropped catch that proved crucial

A catch dropped by Smriti Mandhana cost India dearly. She failed to take a crucial opportunity to get Chloe Tryon out, who went on to score 49 runs. It gave South Africa the opportunity to recover and pick up momentum, which ultimately contributed significantly towards their winning run-chase.