Shafali Verma’s fastest double-hundred, her record stand with Smriti Mandhana, and more stats from India’s first innings
Sampath Bandarupalli28-Jun-2024603 for 6 India’s total against South Africa in Chennai. It is the highest team total in women’s Test cricket, bettering the 575 for 9 dec by Australia against South Africa earlier this year. India also became the first team to breach the 600-run mark in first-class cricket. The previous highest was 595 all out by Australia against England A in 1998.5.23 India’s run rate as they scored 603 for 6 in 115.1 overs. It is the first time any team has scored at five or more runs an over during a 250-plus total.143 Harmanpreet Kaur and Richa Ghosh’s partnership, the highest fifth-wicket stand in women’s Tests, surpassing the 138 between South Africa’s Johmari Logtenberg and Charlize van der Westhuizen against England in 2003.80 Fours hit by India batters. These are the most fours in a women’s Test innings, surpassing 78 by Australia against South Africa in Perth in 2024.525 for 4 – India’s total on the opening day of the Chennai Test against South Africa. These are the most runs scored by any team in a day’s play in Test history (men or women). The previous highest was 509 for 9 by the Sri Lankan men on the second day of the 2002 Colombo Test against Bangladesh.1 – It is the first instance of 500-plus runs scored in a day’s play in a women’s Test match. An aggregate of 475 runs came on the opening day of the Christchurch Test in 1935, where New Zealand were bowled out for 44 before England’s 431 for 4.194 – Balls Shafali Verma needed for her double-century. It is the fastest double-ton in women’s Tests, bettering Annabel Sutherland’s 248-ball effort against South Africa earlier this year.ESPNcricinfo Ltd1 – Shafali is the first woman to score 200-plus runs in a day’s play in a Test match. The previous most runs scored in a day was 189 by Betty Snowball for England on the first day of the Christchurch Test against New Zealand in 1935.292 – Partnership between Shafali and Smriti Mandhana for the first wicket against South Africa. It is the highest opening stand in women’s Tests, surpassing the 241-run partnership by Kiran Baluch and Sajjida Shah against West Indies in 2004.The 354 runs scored by the two batters are also the most by openers in an innings in women’s Tests. Baluch and Shah aggregated 340 runs in the Karachi Test.1 – Number of partnerships in women’s Tests higher than the 292 by Shafali and Mandhana. Denise Annetts and Lindsay Reeler shared a 309-run partnership for the third wicket against England in 1987.The 292-run stand is the highest for India in the format, bettering the 275-run partnership by Thirush Kamini and Punam Raut for the second wicket against South Africa in 2014.2 – Shafali and Mandhana became the second pair of openers to score hundreds in the same innings in women’s Tests. Charlotte Edwards and Laura Newton scored hundreds against New Zealand in 2004.ESPNcricinfo LtdIndia’s first innings is only the 11th instance of two or more batters scoring hundreds in the same women’s Test innings and only the second for India. Thirush Kamini and Punam Raut scored tons in the 2014 Mysuru Test against South Africa.2 – Shafali is now the second Indian to score a double-century in women’s Tests after Mithali Raj, who made 214 against England in Taunton in 2002. She is overall the tenth woman to score a double-hundred in Tests.20y, 152d – Shafali’s age on Friday, which made her the second youngest to score a double-century in women’s Tests, behind Mithali Raj, who was 19 years and 254 days old at the start of the Taunton Test in 2002.8 – Sixes hit by Shafali in her 205-run knock. No batter had hit more than two sixes in an innings in women’s Tests before. No woman has hit more than three sixes in their Test career previously. Shafali now has a career tally of 13 sixes, ten more than any other player.India hit a total of nine sixes on Friday. The most sixes ever hit in a women’s Test by both teams combined previously was six – by England and India in Bristol in 2021.5 India batters with a 50-plus score, the joint-most in an innings in women’s Tests. India’s first innings against South Africa in Paarl in 2002 and Australia’s first innings against England in Taunton in 2019 also had five batters scoring 50-plus runs.