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Shafali Verma's double century and Sneh Rana's ten-wicket haul powered India to a 10-wicket victory against South Africa in the one-off Test at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Monday.
India wrapped up the one-off Test against Proteas by 10 wickets on the final session of the fifth day, keeping the Laura Wolvaardt-led side winless in the tour so far. After Nadine de Klerk's determined half-century ensured that India's total would be chased down and the Harmanpreet Kaur-led side would be forced to come out to bat again, Shubha Sateesh and Shafali saw the hosts through without much struggle in 10 overs to seal the match in Chennai. In pursuit of an overwhelming India's first-inning total of 603/6 declared, which was mainly supported by Shafali's 197-ball 205 and Smriti Mandhana's 149, off-spinner Rana forced South Africa to settle for 266 after returning career-best numbers. India forced a continuation, with South Africa needing 337 runs to close the gap. In the second innings, South Africa's captain Laura Wolvaardt (122) and previous captain Sune Luus (109) engaged in a fierce battle. With 61 from middle-order batsman Nadine de Klerk, the visitors reached 373, giving the home team a goal of 37 runs. In 9.2 overs, Shubha Satheesh (13 not out) and Shafali (24 not out) finished the formalities, guiding India to a huge 10-wicket victory. Earlier, India scored the highest total in women's Test history on Saturday as they declared their first innings at 603/6 on Day 2 of the one-off Test against South Africa at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. At Stumps South Africa were 236/4 with Sune Luus (65) and Marizanne Kapp (69)* standing unbeaten at the crease, spearheading Proteas' comeback and trailing India by 367 runs. With two for 141, Delmi Tucker was the most successful bowler in South Africa, while Masabata Klaas was the most economical. Proteas got off to a strong start and went into Lunch at 29/0. After Lunch, the hosts struck through Sneh Rana as the bowl kept low and trapped the visiting captain leg-before for 20. Anneke Bosch was joined by Sune Luus and the two capitalized on the batting-friendly track. After the pair put up a 63-run partnership for the second wicket, Bosch was removed by Rana for 39. South Africa were 106 for two at the Tea as Marizanne Kapp joined Luus. The two batters reached their respective half-centuries and pushed the partnership to 93 runs in the last session of the day. Deepti Sharma then trapped Luus LBW, leaving the Proteas 189/3. Delmi Tucker was caught behind by Rana for a duck. However, Kapp and Nadine de Klerk shared an undefeated 38-run partnership at the end of the day's play. Indian players missed a few easy opportunities. Rana was the star of the show for India with the ball, taking three wickets for 61, while Deepti also showed a strong performance (1/40). Earlier, the hosts started the day with skipper Harmanpreet Kaur and Richa Ghosh at the overnight score of 525/4.In her fifth Test match, India captain achieved her first half-century in the lengthy format with 69 runs off 115 balls. Richa also recorded her best-ever innings of 86 to further solidify India's lead. The two added 143 runs for the fifth wicket. The Indians, with a score of 576, surpassed Australia, who had set the previous record with 575 for nine declared against South Africa in Perth this February. But at 593, Tumi Sekhukhune trapped Harmanpreet's leg before, shattering their stand. After being caught leg-before by Nonkululeko Mlaba, Richa also went out and the Indian captain declared the innings with a score of 603/6. Brief Scores: India 603/6 d (Shafali Verma 205, Smriti Mandhana 149; Delmi Tucker 2-141) vs South Africa 266 & 373-10 (Laura Wolvaardt 122, Sune Luus 109; Sneh Rana 2-111). (ANI)
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