In a remarkable display of dominance and skill, the Indian women’s cricket team, led by Harmanpreet Kaur, secured a comprehensive 10-wicket victory over South Africa in the one-off Test in Chennai. Opting to bat first, India’s opening duo of Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma laid a formidable foundation, taking the game away from South Africa in the first session itself. The South African bowling attack, missing the experience of Marizanne Kapp, who couldn’t bowl due to injury, looked in complete disarray and struggled to penetrate the Indian batting lineup.
Mandhana’s exquisite knock of 149, adorned with 27 boundaries and a six, set the tone. Shafali, however, stole the spotlight by scoring the fastest double-century in women’s Test cricket, amassing 205 runs off 197 balls. She narrowly failed to surpass Mithali Raj’s 214, the highest score by an Indian batter in Women’s Tests. Jemimah Rodrigues, making a comeback from a back injury, scored a resilient 50, while Harmanpreet registered her maiden Test half-century, joining an elite group of Indian captains to have scored 50+ in all three formats. This distinguished list also includes Mithali, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul.
Young powerhouse Richa Ghosh contributed a vital 86, and once Harmanpreet (69) and Richa were dismissed, India declared on a mammoth 603/6. In response, South Africa struggled, with only Sune Luus and Kapp offering resistance. Indian off-spinner Sneh Rana exploited the rough outside off stump, claiming an impressive 8-fer, the most wickets by an Indian off-spinner in women’s first-class cricket, as South Africa were bundled out for 266.
Following on, the South African batters showed remarkable resilience. Laura Wolvaardt’s century made her the third woman to score hundreds in all three formats, joining Heather Knight and Tammy Beaumont. Luus, with a gritty 109, and Nadine de Klerk’s fighting 61 helped South Africa set a target of 37 for India. Despite their valiant effort, the Proteas’ spinners failed to learn from their Indian counterparts, continuing to bowl short and fast, allowing Shafali and Shubha Satheesh to chase down the target in 9.2 overs.
Rana added two more wickets in the second innings, becoming only the second Indian to take ten wickets in a match after Jhulan Goswami. India’s comprehensive victory, however, was a testament to their superior strategy and execution, particularly in the first innings.
As the series moves to Chennai for the T20Is starting on July 5, South Africa will be eager to salvage some pride after losing both the ODI series and the one-off Test. Meanwhile, India will look to continue their winning momentum, rounding off one of their most successful series in recent history.