Trisha’s all-round show and spinners dash South African dream

Chasing a meagre target of 83, reigning champions India coasted to a comfortable nine wickets win over South Africa with over 52 balls to spare in the grand finale of the ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup that was played between two unbeaten sides at the at the Bayuemas Cricket Oval, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.  To honour this remarkable achievement, the BCCI has announced a cash reward of INR 5 Crore for the victorious squad and support staff, led by Head Coach Nooshin Al Khadeer.

Gongadi Trisha whose three wickets haul played a key role in South Africa being bowled out for 82 in the final ball of the innings, came back strongly to lead the run chase with an unbeaten 44 to steer the Niki Prasad led Indian side  to their second consecutive title that they had won in 2023.

Trisha gained confidence as the game progressed after having edged one agonisingly close past wicket-keeper Karabo Meso for her first boundary of the innings against Nthabiseng Nini in the opening over of the second innings. She flirted with danger in the second over, as her cover drive on the up that landed just wide of the fielder off Fay Cowling– and then rubbed salt into the South African wounds by smacking another ball over the infield for a one-bounce four of the same bowler two balls later.

Three more boundaries followed in the fourth over bowled by off spinner Seshnie Naidu, as the Telangana all-rounder continued to score at around her tournament-average 149.7 strike rate. Wicket batter G Kamalini (8) who had scored an unbeaten fifty in the semi-final against England was caught spectacularly in the deep by Simone Lourens off rival skipper Kayla Reyneke in an attempt to up the ante in the fifth over.

But Trisha (44 n.o.) continued to play aggressively in the company of Indian vice-captain Sanika Chalke, and a rare single in the ninth over saw her become the first player to score 300 runs in a single edition of the tournament when on 35. Sanika who hit four boundaries in a breezy knock of unbeaten 26 scored the winning runs in the 12th over, with a four to the square leg boundary to spark wild celebrations in the Indian camp.

Earlier South Africa won the toss and chose to bat first in dry conditions. Opener Jemma Botha who had played  a key role in her team convincingly in the semis continued from where she left with successive first-over boundaries – including a one-bounce four down the ground off Joshitha V J. Left arm spinner Parunika Sisodia who came in to bowl the next over however castled Simone Lourens for no score at the other end of the second over with an angled delivery that nipped back into middle and leg stump.

First change bowler Shabnam Shakil however sent back the dangerous Botha (16) thanks to a spectacular piece of glove work by Kamalini G in the final ball of fourth over as the opener attempted a big heave into the leg side. Dismissal of Diara Ramlakan in the very next ball by left arm spinner Aayushi Shukla in the very next ball inside powerplay with 20 runs on the board only compounded the problem of the Proteas who scored just 13 runs between the fourth and 10th overs, as boundaries were almost impossible to find on a slow, spin-friendly pitch.

The experienced duo of Reyneke (7) and Meso (10) who had soaked up the pressure in the ensuing phase in an attempt to rebuild the innings fell in successive overs while attempting big shots off leg spinner Trisha and Shukla respectively.

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) with 17 wickets all contributed to the winning cause.

ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup Malaysia 2025 Team of the Tournament Announced

Four Indians are part of the 12 member squad

Four Indian players Gongadi Trisha (309 runs including a ton), G Kamilini (143 runs with two fifties), Vaishnavi Sharma (17 wickets) and Aayushi Shukla (14 wickets) and have been selected in the Team of the Tournament to be led by South African Kayla Reyneke whose team they beat to win the ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup 2025. Other players who made the cut include South African Jemma Botha – who hit a crucial 37 off 24 balls in the semi-final against Australia and is chosen to open alongside Trisha.

England’s Davina Perrin (176) – the tournament’s second-highest run-scorer and wicket-keeper Katie Jones along with Australia’s middle order batter Caoimhe Bray,  Nepal’s skipper and all-rounder Puja Mahato, who scored 70 runs and took nine wickets – including four for nine against Malaysia and Sri Lanka bowler Chamodi Praboda, who also took nine wickets, including three for 16 against India too are selected as part of playing XI. South African fast bowler Nthabiseng Nini is selected as the 12th player.

The 19-year old Gongadi Trisha who was named the Player of the Match and Series risha, who was named Player of the Match and Player of the Tournament, dedicated the latter award to her father, who was in the audience. "Because of him I started playing cricket. I don't think without him I would have been here," said Trisha, who was also part of the team in 2023 where she played in the middle order.

Pushed up the order and under the watchful guidance of her batting coach Apoorva S Desai she was the top scorer in the tourney with 309 runs from seven matches which also included an unbeaten 110 (the only century be scored in the tourney) with an average of 77.25 and strike rate of 147.14, the best in the tournament.

Post the match India captain Niki Prasad recalled her teams’ mission to dominate the tourney in their quest to retain the title. India in fact had chased in four of the six games before the final, and they won all those matches comfortably, never losing more than two wickets and the final proved to be a walk in the park.

 "It's obviously a special moment that we're playing the World Cup and winning it for India. We are definitely going to create this legacy of winning ICC trophies, winning a lot of trophies for India," added Prasad while putting behind her the disappointment of her not making the squad in the inaugural edition of the Under-19 World Cup, which India won under the captaincy of Shafali Verma in 2023.

Roger Binny, President, BCCI in his congratulatory message said, “It has been an exemplary campaign wherein India have  remained unbeaten throughout. We spoke about their performances at the Naman Awards earlier and now they have made us all proud. This trophy reflects the growth of women’s cricket in India, and I’m extremely delighted to see each member shine in this tournament. I once again would like to congratulate the entire team, coaches and the support staff for a fantastic show.”

Brief Scores (U-19 Women Final): South Africa -  82 all out in 20 overs (Mieke van Voorst 23, Jemma Botha 16; Gongadi Trisha 3/15, Parunika Sisodia 2/6)  lost to India -  84/1 in 11.2 overs (Gongadi Trisha 44 not out, Sanika Chalke 26 not out; Kayla Reyneke 1/14) by 9 wickets and 8.4 overs to spare. Player of the Match: Gongadi Trisha (India); Player of the Tournament Gongadi Trisha (India).

Photo Above: The Indian side led by Niki Prasad savour their ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup triumph in the final against South Africa

Photo Cover: Gongadi Trisha of India who scored the first century in the history of the ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup and was the leading run scorer with 309 runs, in addition to her seven wickets was named the Player of the Final and Tournament (Photos courtesy ICC)