‘Both the men and women in blue are doing wonders’ – Netizens react as Sneh Rana, Sune Luus shine bright on Day 3 of Chennai Test

Indian Cricket. (Source – BCCI)

In their pursuit of coming anywhere close to India Women’s imposing first innings total of 603/6, South Africa concluded Day 2 of the Chennai Test at 236/4 following on. Marizanne Kapp and Nadine de Klerk remained undefeated on 69* and 27*, respectively. Sneh Rana emerged as the standout among the bowlers, claiming three of the four Proteas’ wickets, including the crucial dismissal of Sune Luus, who batted impressively during her 65-run knock in the middle.

It was all about Rana in the first hour of Day 3 though, as she bagged five of the remaining six South African wickets to register her best bowling figures of 8/77 in 25.3 overs. This splendid achievement marked her as only the second Indian woman to claim eight scalps in an innings, following Neetu David against the English (8/53 in 1995).

Check Here: IND-W vs SA-W: Sneh Rana continues red ball dominance, claiming eight wicket haul against South Africa in Chennai Test

Kapp and de Klerk’s tenure at the crease was brief, which was majorly compounded by Rana’s impeccable bowling spell. What followed was a staggering collapse of the remainder of the batting line-up. The last five South African batters could only contribute a combined total of nine runs as the Proteas folded for 266.

It was a straightforward decision for skipper, Harmanpreet Kaur, to enforce a follow-on, who anticipated the Indian bowlers to further assert dominance on a deteriorating pitch. This expectation seemed further justified when opener, Anneke Bosch, got trapped in front to a delivery that kept exceedingly low, giving Deepti Sharma her third wicket of the match. However, what ensued was a remarkable blend of resilience, determination, and grit, served up to the Indians during what was already shaping up to be a taxing day in the field for them.

Luus and skipper, Laura Wolvaardt, persevered relentlessly, gradually wearing down the Indian bowlers and capitalizing on any loose deliveries offered to them. Their partnership exhausted the resources of the Indian bowling attack, which showed no signs of yielding wickets as the overs unfolded.

Check Here: IND-W vs SA-W Fantasy League Tips

It was only in the 74th over of the innings that a skidding delivery from Harmanpreet breached the defences of Luus, who departed after a commendable 109 off 203, which was her maiden century in the format. Wolvaardt and Kapp ended the day’s play with the Proteas at 232/2 in 85 overs in the follow-on innings, with the former just seven runs short of another ton in the ongoing tour.

Here’s how X reacted to Day 3 of the one-off Test between India and South Africa

Excellent resilience from South Africa Women’s after follow on

174 run partnership for second wicket and first Test century for Sune Luus#INDvSA

Excellent resilience from South Africa Women’s after follow on

174 run partnership for second wicket and first Test century for Sune Luus#INDvSA pic.twitter.com/Ij6dz73drz

— Abhijeet ♞ (@TheYorkerBall) June 30, 2024

— Abhijeet ♞ (@TheYorkerBall) June 30, 2024

💯 for Suné Luus. She’s looking fabulous today. Playing in challenging conditions with good patience, skills, technique and defence. She became the 5th women test player to score a century for South Africa.#INDvSA #TestCricket

— Yugal (@iamYugal18) June 30, 2024

FANTASTIC performance by our Indian Women’s Cricket team 🇮🇳 Girls on fire!!!

Shefali Verma – 205(197)
Smriti Mandhana – 149(161)
Sneh Raha – 8/77

Such incredible prowess during the test match against South Africa! Take a bow, girls 👏🏼🇮🇳 @BCCIWomen

FANTASTIC performance by our Indian Women’s Cricket team 🇮🇳 Girls on fire!!!

Shefali Verma – 205(197)
Smriti Mandhana – 149(161)
Sneh Raha – 8/77

Such incredible prowess during the test match against South Africa! Take a bow, girls 👏🏼🇮🇳 @BCCIWomen pic.twitter.com/nTf5JGpv10

— Priya Adivarekar (@priyaadivarekar) June 30, 2024

— Priya Adivarekar (@priyaadivarekar) June 30, 2024

Congrats @SnehRana15 on becoming the second Indian to pick eight wickets in an innings during India Women vs South Africa Women Test#INDWvSAW

Congrats @SnehRana15 on becoming the second Indian to pick eight wickets in an innings during India Women vs South Africa Women Test#INDWvSAW pic.twitter.com/bWgUNXlq3g

— 𝕷𝖎𝖇𝖗𝖆𝖓 🇮🇳 ⚖︎ (@ImLibran14_) June 30, 2024

— 𝕷𝖎𝖇𝖗𝖆𝖓 🇮🇳 ⚖︎ (@ImLibran14_) June 30, 2024

Sneh rana took an 8-fer against south africa. seriously we couldn’t be happier; both the men and women in blue are doing wonders.

— philliphereᝰ (@thephilliphere) June 30, 2024

Best bowling figures in an innings in a Women’s Test match:

8/53 – Neetu David 🇮🇳 vs ENG 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿, 1996
8/66 – Ashleigh Gardner 🇦🇺 vs ENG 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿, 2023
8/77 – Sneh Rana 🇮🇳 vs SA 🇿🇦, today

2 of top-3 vs England
2 of top-3 by Indians
2 of top-3 in last 2 years!#INDWvSAW

— The Stats Kid (@TheStatsKid1523) June 30, 2024

Lots of bowling changes for India this, almost white-ball cricket like. Wonder if any bowler, Sneh Rana aside, has been given a long-enough spell to just get into a rhythm and work the batters up. #INDvSA

— S Sudarshanan (@Sudarshanan7) June 30, 2024

Just saw Sneh Rana picked up 8 wickets in an innings against SA. WOW. The dominance from Indian cricket is amazing at this moment.

— Div🦁 (@div_yumm) June 30, 2024

Best Figures in Women’s Tests:

Neetu David 🇮🇳 – 8/53 v ENG, Jamshedpur 1995
Ashleigh Gardner 🇦🇺 – 8/66 v ENG, Nottingham 2023
SNEH RANA 🇮🇳 – 8/77 v SA, Chennai 2024*
Mary Duggan 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 – 7/6 v AUS, Melbourne 1958
Betty Wilson 🇦🇺 – 7/7 v ENG, Melbourne 1958#INDWvSAW #Cricket

— Sahil Pednekar 🇮🇳 (@statsbysahil) June 30, 2024

Sneh Rana has picked 8/77 vs South Africa #INDWvSAW

Picked 8⃣, felt great! Sneh Rana has shattered the Proteas 🥳#INDvSA #IDFCFirstBankWomensTest #JioCinemaSports pic.twitter.com/n2z2kPfeEH

— JioCinema (@JioCinema) June 30, 2024

— Urban Maxwell ✨ (@ImAbhishek7_) June 30, 2024

South African women to score a 100 in both Tests and ODIs

Mignon du Preez
Marizanne Kapp

SUNE LUUS

Luus joins the elite list today#INDvSA

— Mohit Shah (@mohit_shah17) June 30, 2024