Wolvaardt expects India to feel the heat in CWC25 final
South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt believes home pressure and expectations could weigh on India as the two sides meet in the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup final.
South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt is looking forward to the challenge of facing India in the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 final on Sunday, describing it as an exciting opportunity for her side to create history.
The Proteas, who will be playing their first-ever Women's Cricket World Cup final, will face a formidable Indian team in front of their home crowd in Navi Mumbai. With India carrying the weight of expectations, Wolvaardt believes the atmosphere could work in South Africa’s favour.
“I think it’s going to be a very tough game. With the whole crowd behind India, probably a sold-out stadium, it's going to be an exciting opportunity,” Wolvaardt told reporters on the eve of the final.
“But at the same time I think it puts a lot of pressure on them (India) as well. They have the whole country behind them and are sort of expected to win, I guess.
"It sort of plays in our favour, hopefully. I’m very excited for the game. They’re a very good side. We have to play some really good cricket to beat them,” Wolvaardt said ahead of the final.
Laura Wolvaardt and Proteas eye history | Pre-Match Press Conference | CWC25
South Africa skipper Laura Wolvaardt speaks ahead of the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025 Final against India.
South Africa became the first team to book their place in the final after a big 125-run victory over four-time winners England.
India would then stun Australia in the other semi-final, knocking out the defending champions to make way into the final for a third time.
The occasion marks the first time in Women’s Cricket World Cup history that neither England nor Australia will feature in the final and Wolvaardt believes this change reflects the growing competitiveness of the women’s game.
“It just shows how much the women's game is developing and different countries are being able to use new resources and develop really good quality cricketers.
"Like you've seen with the Indian team, the WPL (Women’s Premier League). How many good cricketers have surfaced and what sort of cricket they have been playing lately.
"I think we’ve also come a long way as a team and are really proud of the strides we have made in the last couple of years. So yeah, I'm very excited for the opportunity to play in a final.”
Dominant South Africa punch ticket to the Final | Match Highlights | CWC25
South Africa deliver a comprehensive display to seal their first-ever ICC Women's Cricket World Cup Final spot.
Wolvaardt has been one of the standout performers of the tournament, leading her side from the front with consistent scores at the top of the order. She has been the top scorer for the Proteas.
Under her captaincy, South Africa displayed resilience by bouncing back from a shaky start to secure five consecutive wins, including a win over India, before knocking out England in the semi-final.
Laura Wolvaardt's prolific display | Aramco POTM Highlights | CWC25
Skipper Laura Wolvaardt put in a captain's performance to guide South Africa to a memorable win in the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025 semi-final.
When asked about the potential impact a World Cup win can have on women’s cricket back home, Wolvaardt said, “Now is the opportunity to go one step further and I could only imagine what it could do for women’s cricket in the country.
"Either way, I’m really proud of the group and I think we’ve had a really good tournament up until this final.
"We’ve already created quite a noise back home and are getting messages from people who have started watching women’s cricket because of this tournament.”
South Africa and India will lock horns in the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 Final on Sunday, November 2 starting 1500 hrs local time.
