The title clash of the ODI Women`s World Cup 2025 between Team India and South Africa at the Dr DY Patil Sports Academy in Navi Mumbai was delayed due to rain.
The match was initially supposed to begin at 3 pm, however, persistent rain led the toss ceremony to commence after 4 pm. Despite the delay, there was no dearth of enthusiasm among Team India`s fans who had reached the stadium in large numbers.
The city continued to extend its support to the “Women in Blue” to script history at home.
A local vendor, Mohammad Mushtaq, who was selling Team India jerseys outside the stadium, stated that his prices were affected due to the rain. He also observed that the jerseys with Smriti Mandhana and Jemimah Rodrigues` names on the back sold out in huge numbers.
“I was selling the T-shirts for Rs 250, but because of the rain, people started bargaining. I had to sell them at Rs 200. Most people only wanted Indian jerseys; hardly anyone bought South Africa’s. Smriti Mandhana’s and Jemimah Rodrigues’ jerseys were in great demand. Fans love these players,” said Mushtaq.
“Competition among sellers and the relentless rain affected business badly. Due to the rain, people didn’t stop to shop. Still, Jersey No 5 of Jemimah Rodrigues and Jersey No 18 of Smriti Mandhana sold the most,” said Seema Pawar, another seller.
Pramod More, who was selling tri-colour flags, also said that rain affected his sales.
“Business was not so good as people wanted to rush inside the stadium to avoid the rain. We had expected better sales as it was the World Cup Final, but the weather spoiled our plans. Still, we are praying that India wins. People have come from as far as Virar and Palghar to watch this match and support the team,” said More.
Meanwhile, enthusiastic fans expressed their immense support for the Harmanpreet Kaur-led side.
“I didn’t care about the weather. Watching Smriti Mandhana bat live is worth every raindrop. The energy here is electric!,” said Neha Pandey.
“My son might not remember this day, but one day, I will tell him we were here when the Indian Women`s team played the World Cup final,” said Neeraj Waghela, another fan.
On Sunday, women`s ODI cricket will get a brand new champion.
India, playing its third ODI WC final, will be highly motivated to ease the pain of the 2005 and 2017 losses and secure its first-ever world title in women`s cricket.