Credits: BCCI Women X
The Indian women’s cricket team made a significant mark in the ongoing one-off Test against South Africa in Chennai. With exceptional batting prowess, the Indian squad achieved several historic milestones on both the first and second days of the match against their South African counterparts.On Friday, June 28th, Shafali Verma shone brightly with an exceptional display, achieving a record-breaking double century in India’s solitary Test encounter against South Africa. Her remarkable performance stole the limelight and left a lasting impression on the match.
Shafali Verma’s record double-century propels India to historic Test milestones in Chennai
In a breathtaking display of skill and determination, Shafali Verma blazed a trail with an astonishing innings of 205 runs off just 194 deliveries during India’s one-off Test against South Africa. Her stellar performance not only propelled India to their highest-ever single-day total in Test cricket but also set the stage for a day where records were shattered.
Teaming up with her opening partner Smriti Mandhana, who played a brilliant knock of 149 runs from 161 balls, Shafali forged a monumental partnership of 292 runs. Their combined effort enabled India Women to amass a historic total of 525/4 on Day 1 in Chennai. This formidable score left the South African bowlers grappling to contain the relentless onslaught from the Indian batting lineup throughout Friday’s play.
The Indian women’s cricket team carved out a historic milestone by achieving the highest single-day score in Test cricket history on the opening day of their match against South Africa. Their total of 525/4 eclipsed the previous records set by both men’s and women’s teams worldwide.
Before this remarkable feat, the record for the most runs on the first day of a Test match was held by the Sri Lankan men’s team, who scored 509/9 against Bangladesh in Colombo in 2022. In women’s cricket, the previous benchmark was set by England, scoring 431/2 against New Zealand in Christchurch back in 1935.
In a landmark achievement, the Indian women’s cricket team made history by becoming the first team to score over 520 runs on the opening day of a Test match. This remarkable feat was followed by another monumental record on the second day of their one-off Test against South Africa.
Led by Harmanpreet Kaur, India declared their innings at 603/6, setting a new global benchmark for the highest team total ever recorded in women’s Test cricket. This milestone surpassed the previous record of 575/9 set by Australia earlier in the year in Perth, solidifying India’s dominance and rewriting the history books in women’s cricket.
Shafali Verma achieves big feat with her double century against South Africa
Meanwhile, Shafali Verma’s double century set a new record for the fastest century in women’s Test cricket, surpassing Australia’s Annabel Sutherland, who previously achieved the milestone off 248 balls against South Africa earlier in the year.
Shafali, displaying her remarkable batting prowess, reached this feat by smashing consecutive sixes off Delmi Tucker, followed by a single to complete her double century. This achievement also distinguished her as only the second Indian woman, after Mithali Raj, to score a double century in Test cricket, marking a historic moment for Indian women’s cricket.
Apart from Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana’s outstanding performances, other Indian batters also made significant contributions to their record-breaking total against South Africa. Jemimah Rodrigues scored 59 runs, while Harmanpreet Kaur added 69 runs and Richa Ghosh contributed 86 runs to bolster India’s formidable innings.
Notably, in the history of Indian women’s cricket, Mithali Raj, the former captain and renowned batswoman, set the benchmark for double centuries with her memorable innings of 214 runs off 407 balls against England in Taunton back in August 2002.
