Chennai (Tamil Nadu): The Indian batting pair of Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma etched their name in the history books by inking the second-highest opening partnership in women's Test cricket in the one-off Test match against South Africa here.
The Indian opening duo also surpassed the pair of Pakistan’s Sajjida Shah and Kiran Baluch who had stitched a 241-run stand against West Indies in Karachi in 2004. Mandhana scored her second Test ton while youngster Shafali Verma also reached her maiden three-figure mark in the match and the duo added 292 runs to the scoreboard for the opening wicket.
Shafali (205) converted her century in the double century and became India's women's cricketer with the second-highest individual score in the red-ball format of the game after former captain Mithali Raj, who had amassed unbeaten 214 runs against England at Taunton in 2002.
Shafali took only 194 deliveries to reach the milestone and became the player to hit the fastest double century in women's test cricket, breaking Australia's all-rounder Annabel Sutherland's record, who took 248 balls to reach the landmark.
Shafali also became the youngest Indian to complete 500 runs in the longest format of the game, breaking India batter Sandhya Agarwal's record. Sandhya was 21 years and 308 days old when she reached the milestone, while Shefali completed the same at the age of 20 years and 152 days.
Mandhana took 122 balls to complete her century and smashed 19 boundaries on her way. Verma took 113 deliveries to complete a hundred and hit 15 fours and two sixes. The duo were very close to breaking the 27-year-old record of the highest partnership for any wicket in red-ball cricket as Australia's Lindsay Reeler and Denise Annetts had scored a partnership of 309 runs in 1987 versus England. Mandhana, who hails from Sangli in Maharashtra, was dismissed on 149 by Delmi Tucker in the 52nd over of India’s first innings.
