<p>Harmanpreet Kaur lifted the Women's World Cup trophy on Sunday night after India beat South Africa by 52 runs at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai, ending years of near-misses on the global stage.</p> <p>It was a night of tears and triumph as India posted 298-7 before bowling out South Africa for 246 in the 46th over. Both teams came into the final chasing their first 50-over World Cup crown, but it was the hosts who delivered when it mattered.</p> <h2>Three Straight Losses Nearly Ended the Dream</h2> <p>India's path to glory wasn't straightforward. Three consecutive defeats in the league phase, including one to South Africa, almost derailed everything. But Kaur's side showed serious character to turn things around when elimination was staring them in the face.</p> <p>The semi-final brought a record chase against defending champions Australia, setting up this all-or-nothing clash with South Africa.</p> <h2>Verma Seizes Her Chance</h2> <p>Nobody expected Shafali Verma to be the match-winner. She'd only been called up before the knockout stage as an injury replacement, yet she produced an 87 that set the foundation for India's total. At one point, 350 looked possible, though they eventually settled for 298-7.</p> <p>Then came the real twist. Verma grabbed two crucial wickets just as South Africa were building momentum, completely changing the complexion of the chase. She ended up with player-of-the-match honours in a tournament she nearly didn't play in.</p> <h2>Sharma Delivers on Both Fronts</h2> <p>Deepti Sharma put together one of those performances you dream about. Her 58 came at a run-a-ball, giving India late momentum with the bat. Then she ripped through South Africa's order with 5-39.</p> <p>The 28-year-old's tournament numbers tell the whole story: 22 wickets and 215 runs. That's why she collected the player-of-the-tournament gong.</p> <h2>Wolvaardt's Hundred Not Enough</h2> <p>Laura Wolvaardt gave South Africa hope with her second consecutive century of the tournament, reaching 101 as she tried to drag her team over the line. She finished as the competition's highest run-scorer, but individual accolades meant nothing in the moment.</p> <p>Once she got out, India grabbed control and didn't let go.</p> <p>"I couldn't be prouder of this team for the campaign that we've had," Wolvaardt said afterwards. "We've played some brilliant cricket throughout but we were outplayed today, India played fantastically well. We had a lot of different players stepping up, it was an amazing tournament for a lot of players. I'm just proud of the resilience we showed to get to the final."</p> <h2>Years of Heartbreak Finally Over</h2> <p>The capacity crowd at DY Patil Stadium witnessed something special. Smriti Mandhana, India's top scorer across the tournament, could barely speak through the emotion afterwards.</p> <p>"It's still sinking in. I haven't been emotional on a cricket field but just an unreal night," she said. "To be the champions, I'm not able to process it.</p> <p>"Every World Cup we go in, there have been so many heartbreaks but we always believe we have a responsibility with women's cricket and to see the last month and a half and the way we've been supported... I will take that 45 days of not sleeping every night."</p> <p>India had lost two previous finals. This time, on home soil, they finally got it done</p>