India achieved a historic milestone in women’s Test cricket by scoring a massive 603 for six declared, the highest total ever recorded. South Africa Women put up a strong fight led by Sune Luus and Marizanne Kapp on day two of the one-off Test match. The Indian team started the day at 525 for four with captain Harmanpreet Kaur and Richa Ghosh at the crease. Harmanpreet scored 69 runs off 115 balls to register her maiden half-century in Test cricket, while Richa scored a career-best 86 to extend India’s dominance. The duo added 143 runs for the fifth wicket.
India broke the record for the highest team total in Women’s Test cricket when they reached 576, surpassing Australia’s previous record of 575 for nine declared against South Africa. The partnership was broken at 593 when Harmanpreet was dismissed leg-before by Tumi Sekhukhune, followed by Richa who was also trapped leg-before by Nonkululeko Mlaba. The Indian captain declared the innings at 603 for six.
In response, South Africa fought back with Sune Luus scoring 65 and Marizanne Kapp unbeaten on 69 as they ended the day at 236 for four, trailing by 367 runs. Delmi Tucker was the most successful South African bowler with figures of two for 141, while Masabata Klaas was the most economical.
Despite a solid start at 29 for no loss at lunch, South Africa lost wickets in the later sessions as Indian bowlers made breakthroughs. Sneh Rana starred with the ball, taking three wickets for 61 runs, while Deepti Sharma also impressed with figures of 1/40.
The day belonged to India as they dominated with both bat and ball, setting up an intriguing final day of the Test match.
@Cricbun
