Shafali Verma & Smriti Mandhana. (Photo Source: BCCI Women)
Despite the eventual margin of victory in the one-off Test between India Women and South Africa in Chennai, it’s important to acknowledge the rigorous effort India exerted on the field, or rather, were compelled to. After a splendid display with the bat including a commanding 603/6 in their first innings after winning the toss and opting to bat, India showcased their resilience through dedicated toil and grit to get past the line by 10 wickets on the fourth and final day of the Test.
An impressive 58.71% of India’s colossal first innings total was contributed by openers, Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana, who achieved their highest red-ball scores of 205 and 149, respectively. Together, they formed the second-highest partnership for any wicket and the highest-ever opening stand in Women’s Tests, aggregating 292 runs in 52 overs.
Indian skipper, Harmanpreet Kaur, praised the resilience shown by the Proteas especially in their second innings after being made to follow-on, acknowledging their determined effort that tested her team to the limit. She commended openers Mandhana and Verma for their stellar start, which set a strong foundation for the rest of the batting line-up.
Kaur also extended compliments to the entire batting unit. Reflecting on the challenging conditions, with India fielding for a total of 239.1 overs, the Moga-born emphasized the difficulty of doing so under extreme atmospheric conditions. Furthermore, the captain credited the bowling unit, particularly the spinners, highlighting their persistence and self-belief in securing crucial wickets to clinch the victory.
“It was not easy. They batted really well. They did not give us an easy win, and we had to work hard for it. Credit goes to Smriti and Shafali who set up a platform for us. Everyone in the team, they contributed well with the bat. The way we fielded, it was not easy to field for so many overs. Hats off to our bowlers, especially our spinners. They kept bowling and had that belief that they could take those wickets to win us the game. All of them,” stated Harmanpreet in the post-match presser, as quoted by India Today.
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It is notable to highlight that earlier in the match, before the Proteas were enforced to follow-on, Sneh Rana orchestrated a remarkable feat by scalping eight wickets, triggering a dramatic collapse of the visitors’ first innings. They plummeted from 236/4 at the start of Day 3 to 266 all-out in just 12.3 overs. Rana’s bowling figures also ranked as the third-best in Women’s Tests and the second-best by an Indian, following Neetu David’s 8/53 against England at Jamshedpur in 1995.