The Indian women’s cricket team created history on the opening day of the Test match against South Africa on Friday as the Harmanpreet Kaur-led side scored a mammoth 525 for the loss of four wickets. It was the most runs scored by any team in a day’s play in Test history (both men and women). The record previously belonged to Sri Lanka men’s cricket team who scored 509 for the loss of nine wickets in the Colombo Test against Bangladesh in 2022. In women’s cricket, the record belonged to England who scored 431 for the loss of two wickets against New Zealand at Lancaster Park, Christchurch in 1935.
This was also the first time that any team scored more than 520 runs in one day during a Test match.
South African spinner Delmi Tucker praised the Indian batters for producing a stunning effort on the opening day of the one-off Test, but hoped that her side can turn the tide around from Day 2.
Batting first, India posted a mammoth 525 for four with a record-breaking Shafali Verma (205) and her opening partner Smriti Mandhana (149) doing the maximum damage.
Tucker was the most successful bowler for SA, grabbing two wickets but she gave away 141 runs.
“We will look back and refresh today, sit down and have discussions about tomorrow. Nothing taking away from their (Indian) batters today; they were phenomenal,” Tucker told reporters during the post-day press conference.
Although the Proteas managed to keep Shafali silent during the preceding ODI series, as she managed only 52 runs in three outings, Tucker felt that the Test format gave the Indian ample time to settle down and find her range.
“It’s a different format, and obviously, she (Shafali) has more time (to settle down). She gave her all and made the most of the opportunity since she is a great batter,” said Tucker.
“Yes, we were a bit off from our lines (with the ball) and wish we could have been better. But, nothing to take away from her as she did (bat) really well.” The pitch was predicted to be spin-friendly, but that wasn’t the case on Friday, while misfields and overthrows added to the Proteas’ woes.
Tucker admitted that the visitors could not execute their strategies well on the day, and the city’s hot weather too played its part.
“We did try a few things when Smriti and Verma were batting. We switched to around the wicket and changed the field. We were happy with it for some time, but they took it away,” she acknowledged.
“We could have definitely been better on the field. Yeah, it’s hot out there. Also, overthrows and misfields are not the best of things. But, staying positive and sharp could help in avoiding those misfields.” However, Tucker focused on the fact that the pitch had started to offer some turn and they should get some purchase on Day 2.
“We knew this wicket was going to be good for spin and there was early movement upfront. There was more spin after lunch and we need to take more advantage of it tomorrow,” she said.
The South African women do not have a proper red-ball setup back home, having no multi-day competitions. Tucker said it has made their task tougher despite doing their homework.
“We (SA Women) are still young (in) Test cricket, so we are still getting used to it. It’s tough unlike T20s and ODIs, but we are still learning.
“I don’t think we did too bad. We did our homework and we knew what was coming,” she concluded.
(With PTI inputs)
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