The four semi-finalists for the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup have been confirmed. Seven-time champions Australia and four-time champions England, along with South Africa and hosts India, have secured their places in the semi-finals. As expected, Australia remained undefeated in the tournament and was the first team to qualify for the semi-finals.
Team India began the tournament with two consecutive wins, but then suffered narrow defeats against South Africa, Australia, and England. However, India secured a semi-final berth by defeating New Zealand by 53 runs in a virtual quarter-final.
Who will face whom in the semi-finals will only be fully confirmed after the South Africa vs. Australia match, which will be played on October 25th. The team that wins this match will face India in Semi-Final 2 on October 30, while the losing team will face England in Semi-Final 1 on October 28.
India has performed exceptionally well so far in this World Cup, but despite this, the team has suffered defeats against England, South Africa, and Australia. Had India performed a little better and been able to handle the pressure, India could have won all three matches.
The good news for India is that star batsmen Smriti Mandhana and Pratika Rawal have fully returned to form, while Jemimah Rodrigues’ unbeaten 70 against New Zealand secured India a place in the final four. Smriti Mandhana is currently the leading run-scorer in the tournament, having scored 331 runs, including one century and two half-centuries. Her partner, Pratika Rawal, is in second place with 308 runs. In bowling, Renuka Singh Thakur has regained her lost lead, while Deepti Sharma is the second-highest wicket-taker in the tournament.
The first semi-final of the tournament will be played on October 28th at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Cuttack, while the second semi-final will be played at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai. If the Indian players repeat their performance against New Zealand in the semi-finals and final of the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025, it will be very difficult for any team to stop India from lifting its first World Cup trophy.
At the same time, the Indian team will have to withstand the pressure in the semi-finals; otherwise, India’s dream could be shattered once again. The other three semi-final teams are stronger than India, and to defeat them, India will have to perform at its best in all three departments. On 26th October, India will play Bangladesh in their upcoming cricket match, where the India Women will have to work on all their weaknesses and enhance their strengths in every department before the semi-finals.
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