In a historic performance on Friday, the India women’s cricket team set a new record by scoring 525 runs for four wickets on the first day of their one-off Test against South Africa. This total marks the highest number of runs ever amassed by any team in a single day of Test cricket.
Leading the charge was opener Shafali Verma, who scored the fastest double century in women’s Test history. Verma reached her double hundred off just 194 balls at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. Her partner, Smriti Mandhana, also shone brightly, contributing a century to the monumental total. Together, the pair scored 354 runs, setting another record for the most runs by openers in an innings in women’s Tests.
Shafali’s extraordinary double century surpassed the previous record set by Australia’s Annabel Sutherland, who scored a century off 248 balls against South Africa earlier this year. Verma’s feat also eclipsed the longstanding record held by England’s Betty Snowball, who scored 189 runs on the opening day of a Test match against New Zealand in 1935.
At just 20 years old, Shafali Verma became the second Indian woman and the second youngest woman to achieve a double century in Test matches. She follows in the footsteps of Mithali Raj, who was 19 when she scored 214 runs against England in Taunton in 2002.
This remarkable achievement not only highlights the prowess of the India women’s cricket team but also sets a new benchmark in the history of women’s Test cricket.
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