Shafali Verma Makes Fastest-Ever Women's Test Double Century, Smriti Mandhana Misses Out
Young opener Shafali Verma played out of her skin to score a record-breaking double century, which helped India to the highest-ever single-day total as a plethora of landmarks were rewritten on the opening day of the one-off Test against South Africa here on Friday. Shafali's double century (205), scored off just 194 balls, and her formidable 292-run partnership with Smriti Mandhana (149) set the platform for India's massive 525 for 4 on a day when the visitors were sent on a leather hunt by the host batters. Shafali eclipsed the double-century record of Annabel Sutherland of Australia, who had achieved the feat off 248 deliveries in a Test against South Africa in February. The 20-year-old Indian also became only the second Indian woman cricketer after the legendary Mithali Raj to hit a double century in Test cricket.
