In the semifinal at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on Thursday, India pulled off one of the biggest comebacks in the history of the ICC Women’s ODI World Cup, defeating defending champions Australia by five wickets after chasing down a massive 339.
The victory, which was secured at 341 for 5, surpassed the New Zealand men’s 299 for 6 against South Africa in the 2015 semifinal to become the highest successful run chase in an ODI World Cup knockout for both men’s and women’s cricket.
With this victory, Australia’s 15-match World Cup winning streak—which dates back to 2022—was ended, and India advanced to their third Women’s World Cup final, having previously made it to the summit event in 2005 and 2017.
Jemimah Rodrigues had the best innings of the evening, scoring an undefeated 127, her first World Cup century and third ODI ton overall. She anchored India’s chase to perfection and led the team to a record-breaking victory after being promoted to number three just minutes before entering.
Jemimah created an incredible 167-run partnership for the third wicket with captain Harmanpreet Kaur, who scored a fluid 89. This was India’s best-ever knockout match and the greatest stand against Australia in Women’s World Cup history.
In addition to breaking Australia’s monopoly on 150-plus stands in knockout matches—all five previous such partnerships, including the 155-run stand between Ellyse Perry and Phoebe Litchfield earlier in the day—the partnership exceeded the previous Indian record of 137 between Harmanpreet and Deepti Sharma from the 2017 semifinal in England.
After a solid start, Australia, who chose to bat first, appeared ready for another commanding performance as they scored 338. Ellyse Perry’s 77 and Ashleigh Gardner’s late blast of 63 off 45 balls complemented Phoebe Litchfield’s 119 to anchor the innings.
With Nallapureddy Shee Charani collecting 2 for 49 and Deepti Sharma taking 2 for 73 to prevent the Australians from surpassing 350, India’s bowlers bravely fought back despite the high score.
In response, India’s chase got off to a rough start when openers Shafali Verma (10) and Smriti Mandhana (24) were dismissed early, leaving the team at 47 for 2. However, Jemimah and Harmanpreet stabilized the ship by cleverly rotating strike and controlling the necessary rate.
Important cameos from Deepti Sharma (24), Richa Ghosh (26), and Amanjot Kaur (15 not out off 8) made that India never lost control of the chase after the captain was dismissed. Overwhelmed by the significance of the moment, Jemimah collapsed to her knees in tears as Amanjot scored the winning runs.
The figures depict a momentous evening for Indian cricket. India’s previous mark of 266 for 8 against Australia in Mackay in 2021 was surpassed by the chase of 341 for 5, which was not only the highest in the history of the Women’s World Cup but also the most successful run chase in Women’s ODIs.
It surpassed Australia’s 181 for 1 against South Africa in the 2000 semifinal and England’s 221 for 8 against South Africa in the 2017 semifinal in the Women’s ODI World Cup knockout stages. Additionally, after surpassing 331 against Australia in Vizag and 259 against England in Southampton earlier this year, it was India’s third successful pursuit of 300 or more in 2025 alone.
Additionally, Australia’s record-breaking run ended. In Navi Mumbai, where India made history, their 15-match winning streak in World Cups came to a stop. This run was only previously matched between 1997 and 2000.
The outcome also meant that India’s total of 341 for 5, surpassing both Australia’s 289 for 4 against New Zealand in the 1996 quarterfinal and New Zealand’s 299 for 6 against South Africa in 2015, is now the highest successful run chase ever accomplished by any team in an ODI World Cup knockout, men’s or women’s.
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