Shafali Verma and Deepti Sharma starred with both bat and ball to propel India to their first Women’s World Cup title with a 52-run win over South Africa on Sunday.

Hosts India posted 298-7 and then bowled South Africa out for 246 with spinner Sharma taking five wickets in front of a sell-out home crowd at Mumbai’s DY Patil Stadium.

Verma top-scored with 87 and Sharma hit 58 off as many balls as India posted a challenging total after they were put in to bat in a final delayed two hours by rain.

South Africa skipper Laura Wolvaardt hit a valiant 101 but her departure off Sharma raised the noise at the 45,000-capacity stadium, which had turned into a sea of blue.

Sharma took down Nadine de Klerk, for 18, as the final wicket as Harmanpreet Kaur’s India celebrated with the jubilant crowd i

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