India vs South Africa: Records Galore - Second-Highest Opening Partnership and Fastest Double Century in Women’s Test Cricket
Records Broken in India Women vs South Africa Women's One-Off Test: Second-Highest Opening Partnership and Fastest Double Century
Chennai (Tamil Nadu): During the one-off Test match against South Africa, the Indian opening pair of Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma created history by achieving the second-highest partnership for the opening wicket in women's Test cricket.
Smriti Mandhana, scoring her second Test century, and the young prodigy Shafali Verma, achieving her maiden century, accumulated a total of 292 runs together. This partnership surpassed the previous record held by Pakistan's Sajjida Shah and Kiran Baluch, who had set a 241-run stand against West Indies in Karachi in 2004.
Shafali Verma created history by scoring 205 runs and converting her century into a double century, making her India's women's cricketer with the second-highest individual score in the red-ball format, following former captain Mithali Raj's unbeaten 214 against England in 2002 at Taunton.
She achieved this remarkable feat in just 194 deliveries, setting a new record for the fastest double century in women's Test cricket, surpassing Australia's all-rounder Annabel Sutherland, who took 248 balls to achieve the same milestone.
Additionally, apart from her impressive batting display, Shafali also became the youngest Indian to reach 500 runs in Test cricket, breaking the previous record held by Sandhya Agarwal. Sandhya achieved this milestone at the age of 21 years and 308 days, while Shafali accomplished it at just 20 years and 152 days old.
Mandhana completed her century in 122 balls, hitting 19 boundaries during her innings. Verma, on the other hand, reached her century in 113 deliveries, which included 15 fours and two sixes. The duo came close to breaking the 27-year-old record for the highest partnership in red-ball cricket, held by Australia's Lindsay Reeler and Denise Annetts with 309 runs against England in 1987.
Mandhana, hailing from Sangli in Maharashtra, was dismissed for 149 by Delmi Tucker in the 52nd over of India’s first innings.
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