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Former India captain Rohit Sharma was spotted in the stands at the DY Patil Sports Academy in Navi Mumbai on Sunday, as he arrived to cheer for the Indian women’s team in their ICC Women’s World Cup 2025 final clash against South Africa. The veteran opener, dressed casually, was seen seated inside the corporate box, watching the high-stakes encounter alongside dignitaries and fans. As soon as Rohit appeared on the big screen, the packed home crowd erupted in cheers, with chants of “Rohit! Rohit!” echoing around the stadium. ROHIT SHARMA AT DY PATIL STADIUM TO SUPPORT INDIA IN THE FINAL ❤️ pic.twitter.com/06O3FcnO5U — Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) November 2, 2025 Rohit Sharma with Ritika Bhabhi watching Women’s World Cup Final..!!??️ pic.twitter.com/RxpLh35coQ — ????????????????????????????⁴⁵ (@rushiii_12) November 2, 2025 Having recently stepped down from India’s white-ball captaincy duties, Rohit’s presence added to what has already been a landmark evening for Indian women’s cricket. India’s Strong Start Meanwhile, on the field, India made a blistering start after being asked to bat first. Openers Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana put together a commanding 104-run partnership, sending the stands into a frenzy. Shafali, who returned to the ODI setup after a brief injury layoff, continued her dream run in the tournament, blasting 87 off 78 deliveries with seven boundaries and two sixes. In the process, she registered her highest ODI score and became the youngest-ever batter to score a fifty in a Women’s World Cup final. Mandhana, steady as ever, complemented her partner with a fluent 45, guiding India through the powerplay with poise before falling in the 25th over. When Rohit was first spotted by the cameras, India were cruising at 161/1 in the 26th over, with Jemimah Rodrigues joining Shafali to keep the momentum going. However, South Africa began to claw back into the contest through Ayabonga Khaka and Nonkululeko Mlaba, who picked up key wickets to restrict India to a more cautious 229/4 by the 40th over.
