India surpassed Australia's previous record of 575/9 by declaring their innings at 603 in 115.1 overs on Saturday.
Digital Desk: India achieved a historic milestone in women’s Test cricket on the second day of their one-off match against South Africa at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. They surpassed Australia's previous record of 575/9 by declaring their innings at 603 in 115.1 overs on Saturday. The new record was secured with Richa Ghosh hitting a boundary off the first ball of the 109th over bowled by Annerie Dercksen.
Key contributions came from Indian openers Shafali Verma (205) and Smriti Mandhana (149), who formed a remarkable partnership of 292 runs — the highest ever in women’s cricket for an opening stand. Jemimah Rodrigues (55) also played a significant role, along with skipper Harmanpreet Kaur and Richa Ghosh, both of whom remained unbeaten after scoring half-centuries.
India had set the stage for this achievement on Day 1 by finishing at 525 for four, setting a new record for the highest single-day total in women’s Test cricket, surpassing the previous mark held by the Sri Lankan men’s team (509/9) against Bangladesh in Colombo back in 2002.
Sachin Tendulkar, the Indian batting legend, took to his official X account to congratulate Shafali and the Indian women's team. “What a stellar performance by our girls on Day 1! @TheShafaliVerma's double ton and @mandhana_smriti's 149 set the tone for a commanding day. The overall batting display by the team was nothing short of impressive, and I'm looking forward to more fireworks tomorrow!” he wrote.
