Gongadi Trisha starred with bat and ball as defending world champions India eased to a nine-wicket win over South Africa to retain their 2025 ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup trophy, at the Bayuemas Oval in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Sunday, 2 February, 2025.
Trisha, who finished as the tournament’s top run-scorer, took three for 15 to help bowl South Africa out for 82 at the Bayuemas Oval, Kuala Lumpur.
She then led the run-chase, scoring 44 not out, to steer India to victory and a successful defence of the trophy they won in 2023.
South Africa were unable to score quickly enough in their innings and lost regular wickets as India’s spin bowlers took control, but this tournament marks excellent progress from the inaugural competition two years ago, where they failed to go beyond the Super Six stage.
India Stifle South Africa Batters
In a clash of the two unbeaten teams in the tournament, South Africa won the toss and chose to bat first in dry conditions, putting their star player Jemma Botha in the middle right away.
The opener struck 37 off 24 balls in the semi-final against Australia, a knock that was pivotal to securing victory, and her innings was always likely to be crucial to their chances of beating India.
Successive first-over boundaries – including a one-bounce four down the ground – was a fine way to start, but India hit back when Parunika Sisodia clean bowled Simoné Lourens at the end of the second over with an angled delivery that nipped back into middle and leg stump.
It was the nerve-settler the defending champions needed but the key wicket was Botha, and it was always likely to require something special to take it. Fortunately for India, that came at the end of the fourth over.
Botha went after a Shabnam Shakil delivery, attempting a heave into the leg side. However, she instead got a thick edge and looked back in dismay as wicket-keeper Kamalini G dived, outstretched to her right and held onto a brilliant one-handed catch.
That took the steam out of South Africa’s innings, and India quickly took control.
Diara Ramlakan was bowled by Aayushi Shukla the very next ball, and the spin bowlers tied South Africa down. South Africa scored just 13 runs between the fourth and 10th overs, as boundaries were almost impossible to find on a slow, spin-friendly pitch.
Captain Kayla Reyneke and wicketkeeper Karabo Meso soaked up the pressure but then fell in successive overs while attempting big shots.
Mieke van Voorst added a late spark, firing an 18-ball 23, including three fours, but South Africa ran out of steam when she was stumped off a well-flighted Trisha delivery.
That sparked another burst of wickets that left South Africa all out for 82. Trisha (3-15) was the pick of the bowlers, while Sisodia (2-6), Shukla (2-9) and the tournament’s top wicket-taker Vaishnavi Sharma (2-23) all contributed.
Trisha Takes Over
South Africa knew they needed to bowl India out to win the title and they came extremely close to the key wicket in the first over.
Nthabiseng Nini took the new ball and found Trisha’s outside edge but, agonisingly, the ball was just out of reach for wicket-keeper Meso and raced to the boundary.
Trisha then flirted with danger in the second over, by punching a cover drive on the up that landed just wide of the fielder – and then rubbed salt into the South African wounds by smacking another ball over the infield for a one-bounce four.
Three more fours followed in the fourth over, as the opener continued to score at around her tournament-average 149.7 strike rate.
South Africa took their first wicket shortly after as Kamalini (8) was caught spectacularly in the deep by Lourens.
But Trisha continued to play aggressively, scoring eight boundaries in her innings, while a single in the ninth over moved her to 35, and the first player to score 300 runs in a single edition of the tournament.
Sanika Chalke hit four boundaries in a breezy 26 not out to support Trisha, and hit the winning runs in the 12th over, with a four to the square leg boundary to spark wild celebrations in the Indian camp.
South Africa Women Under-19 Squad
Chanel Venter
Deidre van Rensburg
Diara Ramlakan
Jemma Botha
Simoné Lourens
Fay Cowling
Kayla Reyneke (c)
Luyanda Nzuza
Mieke van Voorst
Jae Leigh Filander (wk)
Karabo Meso (wk)
Ashleigh van Wyk
Monalisa Legodi
Nthabiseng Nini
Seshnie Naidu
India Women Under-19 Squad
Ishwari Awasare
Niki Prasad (c)
Sanika Chalke
Gongadi Trisha
Anandita Kishor
Mithila Vinod
Bhavika Ahire (wk)
Kamalini G (wk)
Aayushi Shukla
Drithi Kesari
Joshitha V J
Parunika Sisodia
Shabnam Shakil
Sonam Yadav
Vaishnavi Sharma
Scores in Brief – South Africa v India – Bayuemas Oval, Kuala Lumpur
South Africa 82 all out in 20 overs (Mieke van Voorst 23, Jemma Botha 16; Gongadi Trisha 3/15, Parunika Sisodia 2/6)
India 84 for one in 11.2 overs (Gongadi Trisha 44 not out, Sanika Chalke 26 not out; Kayla Reyneke 1/14)
Result: India won by 9 wickets
SA U19 Women Fixtures and Results for the ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup 2025 (All times CAT)
Sat 18 Jan: South Africa beat New Zealand by 22 runs (Borneo Cricket Ground, Sarawak)
Mon 20 Jan: South Africa beat Samoa by 10 wickets (Borneo Cricket Ground, Sarawak)
Wed 22 Jan: South Africa beat Nigeria by 41 runs (DLS) (Borneo Cricket Ground, Sarawak)
Super Six Stage*
Saturday, 25 January
New Zealand beat USA by 18 runs (YSD UKM Oval, Kuala Lumpur) (Group 2)
England v Nigeria – Match abandoned (Borneo Cricket Ground, Sarawak) (Group 2)
South Africa beat Ireland by 7 wickets (Borneo Cricket Ground, Sarawak) (Group 2)
Australia beat West Indies by 7 wickets (YSD UKM Oval) (Group 1)
Sunday, 26 January
Sri Lanka v Scotland Match abandoned (Bayuemas Oval, Kuala Lumpur) (Group 1)
India beat Bangladesh by 8 wickets (Bayuemas Oval, Kuala Lumpur) (Group 1)
Monday 27 January
England beat New Zealand by 6 wickets (Borneo Cricket Ground, Sarawak) (Group 2)
Tuesday 28 January
South Africa v USA Match abandoned (Borneo Cricket Ground, Sarawak) (Group 2)
Bangladesh beat West Indies by 10 wickets (Bayuemas Oval) (Group 1)
India beat Scotland by 150 runs (Group 1)
Wednesday 29 January
Nigeria beat Ireland by 6 runs (YSD UKM Oval) (Group 2)
Sri Lanka beat Australia by 12 runs (YSD UKM Oval) (Group 1)
Fri 31 January
1st Semi-final South Africa beat Australia by 5 wickets (Bayuemas Oval, Kuala Lumpur)
2nd Semi-final India beat England by 9 wickets (Bayuemas Oval, Kuala Lumpur)
Sunday, 2 February – FINAL
India beat South Africa by 9 wickets (Bayuemas Oval, Kuala Lumpur)
Original Copy: The ICC, with editing by gsport
Main Photo Caption: Defending world champions India eased to a nine-wicket win over South Africa to retain their 2025 ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup trophy, at the Bayuemas Oval in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Sunday, 2 February, 2025. Photo: Matthew Lewis-ICC/ICC via Getty Images
Photo 2 Caption: Nthabiseng Nini bowls during the ICC Women’s U19 T20 World Cup 2025 Final between South Africa and India. Photo: Alex Davidson-ICC/ICC via Getty Images
Photo 3 Caption: India Opener Gongadi Trisha *44 earned Player of the Match, and Player of the Series, taking 3 wickets in the final Photo: Matthew Lewis-ICC/ICC via Getty Images
Photo 4 Caption: Mieke van Voorst top-scored for SA, hitting three boundaries, 23 runs off 18 balls for the Junior SA T20 team. Photo: Matthew Lewis-ICC/ICC via Getty Images
Photo 5 Caption: Aayushi Shukla bowled two maidens in her 2/9 in four overs for India. Photo: Alex Davidson-ICC/ICC via Getty Images Mieke van Voorst
Photo 6 Caption: An incredible achievement by the young South Africans, earning ICC World Cup silver medals in Kuala Lumpur. Photo: Matthew Lewis-ICC/ICC via Getty Images Mieke van Voorst
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