In the final, Shafali played freely and stayed calm even as the pressure built. She put up a 100-run stand with Smriti Mandhana for the opening wicket and was the top scorer in the side as India finished with 298/7 helped India post a big total.
Later on, her two wickets in successive overs, those of Sune Luus and Marizanne Kapp, dealt a major blow to South Africa’s chase.
When asked about her approach in the final, she said: “I tried to stay calm and execute my plans, and things went as expected. The only thought was that we had to give our all in those seven hours for our country.”
The triumph marked India becoming only the fourth team after Australia, England and New Zealand to lift the coveted title.