India successfully defended their ICC Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup title with a dominant nine-wicket victory over South Africa in the final on Sunday. India remained unbeaten throughout the tournament and became the first team to win back-to-back ICC titles after claiming the inaugural championship in 2023 under Shefali Verma’s leadership.
The defending champions reached the final after winning all their group-stage matches against Malaysia, West Indies and Sri Lanka. They then defeated Bangladesh and Scotland in the Super Six before knocking out England in the semifinal on Friday.
South Africa’s loss marked their third defeat in an ICC final within the last eight months. The senior men’s and women’s teams had also finished as runners-up in the T20 World Cup last year.
Chasing a modest target of 83, India reached 84 for one in 11.2 overs with 52 balls to spare. Gongadi Trisha led the chase with an unbeaten 44 off 33 balls while Sanika Chalke remained not out on 26 off 22 balls.
Earlier, India’s bowlers produced a clinical performance to bowl out South Africa for 82 in 20 overs. Trisha starred with the ball, taking three wickets for 15 runs. Vaishnavi Sharma picked up two for 23, Aayushi Shukla took two for nine and Parunika Sisodia finished with two for six.
Mieke van Voorst top-scored for South Africa with 23. Their batting lineup struggled, with only four players reaching double figures while four were dismissed for ducks.
India’s dominant all-round performance secured their second consecutive Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup title.
