Anya Shrubsole bowled England to a fourth World Cup victory orchestrating a spectacular Indian batting collapse as her side won by nine runs in one of the all-time great finals at a sold-out Lord's on Sunday.
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The Perth Scorcher speedster claimed 6-46 and a crucial late run out to break Indian hearts after they had been cruising at 3-191 chasing 229 runs for victory.
Shrubsole's heroics sparked wild scenes at the home of cricket, and marked an eighth-straight win in the tournament for the home side who looked down and out with 10 overs to spare.
The 25-year-old took five wickets with her last 19 balls of the match as India crumbled spectacularly.
"The last four or five batters probably at this platform in the finals, they could not handle the pressure," Indian captain Mithali Raj said.
"At one point the game was in the balance and that's when probably we didn't hold our nerves. We messed it up in the end.
"The lower middle order needs to contribute at some point, that's something that's been a constant for the Indian team for a long time. Mostly the lower order never does when it comes to these situations.
"It's like the fielding department, batting is something everybody needs to do.
"It's a learning experience for all the girls and I'm sure they will use this experience when faced with the same situation in the future."
Shrubsole removed opener Punam Raut leg before wicket for 86. Raut wanted to challenge the decision but ran out of time, and was sent on her way by the umpire although had she referred it upstairs, she would've still been out.
Veda Krishnamurthy was set but fell with a poor shot across the line that looped straight up to Natalie Sciver at mid wicket.
Veteran Jhulan Goswami was then bowled for nought before Shrubsole ran out Shikha Pandey at point.
Next over she removed Deepti Sharma and Rajeshwari Gayakwad to secure the trophy.
"Every game of cricket you have you try and win and you're fighting for the trophy, you're fighting for your teammates, you're fighting for your country," England captain Heather Knight said.
"Cricket's a funny game, and pressure's a funny thing and obviously in a World Cup final we knew if we held our nerve, we'd be in with a chance.
"We did feel it was slipping away a little bit at 190 for three. It's been a theme of the tournament, us fighting hard and holding our nerve.
"We knew we were in with a chance. We've done it the hard way in this tournament which I guess makes it all the better."
Raut and Harmanpreet Kaur, who demolished Australia in the semi-final with an unbeaten 171, set up the run chase with a 95-run stand for the third wicket.
When Kaur fell for for 51, Krishnamurthy continued alongside Raut before Shrubsole took the ball, and with it took control of the match.
India remain without a major trophy in women's cricket while England have capped a remarkable turnaround in fortunes under coach Mark Robinson, who divisively removed the country's all-time leading run scorer Charlotte Edwards from her role as captain in one of his first acts.
Rain stayed away from Lord's for the most part, and indeed no overs were lost despite the constant threat posed by the overcast sky.
England won the toss and batted, scrapping their way to 7-228 at a buzzing Lord's packed for of English fans, and parochial Indian supporters.
Goswami bowled superbly from both ends, and ran through the England middle order claiming the key wickets of Sarah Taylor (45), Natalie Sciver (51) and Fran Wilson for a golden duck.
Taylor's knock didn't include a single boundary, and her stay at the crease ended when she gloved one ever so slightly down the leg side. It started a devastating run for Goswami, who took her three wickets in 10 balls across two separate spells.
She finished with 3-23 in one of the most crucial bowling spells of the tournament, containing England's powerful batting line up and giving her side a manageable run chase.
Poonam Yadav chimed in with two wickets, and at one stage a score of 200 looked almost out of reach for the home side before experienced duo Katherine Brunt (34) and Jenny Gunn (25*) put on 32 for the seventh wicket.
Gunn then combined for 32 more runs with Laura Marsh to give the England bowlers something to defend, but it looked well below what was required before Shrubsole stepped up.
