Sports Desk:

India women’s team’s star opener, Shafali Verma, produced an incredible performance on Friday, as she became the fastest double centurion in the history of women’s Test cricket. Shafali recorded the feat during the one-off Test against South Africa in Chennai. The 20-year-old Shafali scored a the double ton off just 194 balls, surpassing Annabel Sutherland’s previous record of a double ton off 248 balls against the same side earlier this year.

Shafali’s remarkable feat makes her only the second Indian woman to record a double century in the longest format, following in the footsteps of former captain and batting great Mithali Raj, who scored 214 runs off 407 balls in a drawn Test against England at Taunton 22 years ago.

Shafali’s innings was a masterclass in aggressive batting, featuring 23 fours and eight towering sixes. She reached her 200-run milestone in style, smashing consecutive sixes off off-spinner Delmi Tucker and then a single to seal her place in the record books.

The young opener’s extraordinary knock came to an end when she was run out at 205 off 197 balls following a mix-up with partner Jemimah Rodrigues.

Shafali narrowly missed on recording the highest individual score by an Indian in women’s Test innings, and fell 38 runs short of breaking the world record. Pakistan women’s Kiran Baluch continues to hold the record for most runs in a Test innings, scoring 242 against West Indies in 2004.

Shafali’s 205 is the seventh-highest score in women’s Tests.

Shafali’s stellar performance was complemented by her opening partner, Smriti Mandhana, who played an equally aggressive innings. Mandhana scored an impressive 149 off 161 balls, hitting 27 boundaries and one six. Together, they forged a formidable opening partnership of 292 runs in just 52 overs.

Thus, the Indian pair recorded the highest opening partnership in women’s Test cricket, too. Shafali and Mandhana surpassed the 241-run opening stand by Pakistan’s Sajjida Shah and Kiran Baluch against West Indies in Karachi in 2004, the same innings in which Baluch went on to post the highest individual score in women’s Tests.shafali, verma, india, shafali verma, shafali verma team india,

Mandhana had also starred in the ODI series against the Proteas, where she smashed two centuries and a fifty to guide India to a brilliant 3-0 series sweep.