India‘s opening pair Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma gave a great begin for the team in opposition to South Africa in the one-off Test at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. Harmanpreet Kaur, after triumphing the toss, chose to bat first, a decision justified by using the centuries scored by the openers
Verma and Mandhana began strongly and maintained their form throughout the first session. They returned with renewed vigor, taking on the South African bowlers aggressively to build momentum for the team.
Their goal was to propel India to a substantial first-innings total, and they consistently found the boundaries, converting their initial 100-run partnership into an impressive 200-run stand. Verma, batting on 98*, clinched her maiden Test century by hitting Nonkululeko Mlaba for a boundary on the final delivery of the 39th over.
In the following over, Smriti Mandhana, who was on 99*, rotated the strike and faced the first ball of the 40th over to reach her second Test century with a single. This achievement further strengthened India’s commanding position, and the duo continued their impressive performance into the second session.
You can watch the video here:
https://x.com/BCCIWomen/status/1806593763617468815
https://x.com/BCCIWomen/status/1806594097920291163
India’s opening batsmen propel India to a strong beginning
Smriti Mandhana showcased incredible performance in India’s recent 3-0 ODI series win over South Africa, hitting consecutive centuries within the first 2 match and adding a 90 within the third game, narrowly lacking out on a milestone by only 10 runs.
Meanwhile, Shafali Verma experienced a period of low form, struggling to perform in recent matches for India. Her difficulties were highlighted when she was omitted from the XI during India’s encounter with England last December.
Making a comeback in the red-ball format after nearly half a year, Verma displayed remarkable composure against South Africa, immediately hitting her stride to silence her critics emphatically.
The duo aimed to accumulate as many runs as possible before handing over the reins to the middle-order batsmen. Verma struck 15 boundaries and a couple of sixes en route to her century, while Mandhana’s innings featured 19 fours.
Together, they achieved the highest-ever first-wicket partnership in women’s Test cricket. Currently, India stands at 271/0 after 50 overs, with Mandhana unbeaten on 141 from 155 balls and Verma on 128 not out off 145 deliveries.
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