525/4 by India is their highest total in Women’s Tests surpassing 467 they made against England in Taunton back in 2002. The previous highest they made at home was 428 against England in Navi Mumbai last December. There are only two higher innings totals in all Women’s Tests: 575/9 declared by Australia against South Africa in Perth earlier this year and 569/6 declared by Australia against England in Guildford in 1998.
Highest totals in in Women’s Tests
| Team | Total | Against | Venue | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | 575/9d | South Africa | Perth | 2023/24 |
| Australia | 569/6d | England | Guildford | 1998 |
| Australia | 525 | India | Ahmedabad | 1983/84 |
| India | 525/4 | South Africa | Chennai | 2024 |
| New Zealand | 517/8 | England | Scarborough | 1996 |
| England | 503/5d | New Zealand | Christchurch | 1934/35 |
525 runs scored by India is the most in a single day’s play by a team in the same innings. There are only two previous instances of a team scoring 400+ runs in one day: England made 431 against New Zealand in Christchurch in 1934/35 and more recently India scored 410 against England in Navi Mumbai in December 2023.
2 – Shafali Varma became the second Indian batter to score a double century in Women’s Tests after Mithali Raj, who made 214 against England in Taunton in 2002. Overall, it is the tenth double hundred in Women’s Tests and the third since January 2023. 194 balls taken by Shafali makes it the fastest double hundred in Women’s Tests bettering Annabelle Sutherland’s 248 balls against the same opponent in Perth earlier this year (where balls faced details available).
Highest individual scores for India in Women’s Tests
| Player | Score | Against | Venue | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mithai Raj | 214 | Eng | Taunton | 2002 |
| Shafali Verma | 205 | SA | Chennai | 2024 |
| Thirush Kamini | 192 | SA | Mysore | 2014/15 |
| Sandhya Agarwal | 190 | Eng | Worcester | 1986 |
| Smriti Mandhana | 149 | SA | Chennai | 2024 |
| Sandhya Agarwal | 134 | Aus | Wankhede | 1984 |
104.06 – Strike rate for Shafali at the time of her dismissal (205 off197 balls). It is the first instance of a batter scoring a century and ending up with a 100+ strike rate in Women’s Tests. Smriti ended with a strike rate of 92.54 (149 off 161) which is the third in the list, behind Chamani Seneviratna’s 92.22 (105* off 108) for Sri Lanka against Pakistan in Colombo in 1998. Shafali reached her hundred in 113 balls and Smirti in 122 balls making it the fastest centuries in Women’s Tests bettering Jan Brittin’s 137 ball effort for England against Australia in Perth in 1984 (where balls faced details available).
205 – Runs scored by Shafali is the most by a batter in a day’s play in Women’s Tests bettering Eizabeth Snowball’s 189 runs for England against New Zealand in Christchurch in 1934/35. Smriti Mandhana’s 149 runs is the third in the last with Mithali’s 167 against England in Taunton in 2002 sitting in the second place.
8 – Sixes by Shafali is the most by a batter in an innings in Women’s Tests, where boundary details are available. The is no previous instance of a batter hitting more than two in an innings in Women’s Tests. Shafali is the only other batter to hit three or more maximums in a Women’s Test across both innings, the first being three against England in Bristol in 2021.
Shafali hit 31 boundaries in her innings (23 X 4s, 8 X 6s) which is the second most in Women’s Tests behind Kiran Baluch’s 38 fours for Pakistan against West Indies in Karachi in 2004.
9 –Innings taken by Shafali to 500 runs is the joint third quickest by any player in Women’s Tests, only behind Karen Rolton and Sandhya Agarwal both of whom took eight innings each. Shafali averages 60.33 at this point in her career, only behind Denise Annetts (81.90) and Ellyse Perry (61.86), among the 41 players with 500+ runs in the format.
292– The opening stand of 292 between Shafali and Smriti is the second highest partnership for any wicket in Women’s Tests and the highest opening stand ever. The highest partnership in the format remains 309 runs for the second wicket by Denise Annetts and Lindsay Reeler for Australia against England in Wetherby in 1987.
The previous highest partnership for any wicket for India was 275 between Thirush Kamini and Poonam Raut for the second wicket against South Africa in Mysore in 2014 while the previous highest opening stand in Women’s Tests was 241 between Kiran Baluch and Sajjida Shah for Pakistan against West Indies in Karachi in 2004.
Highest partnerships in Women’s Tests
| Partners | Wkt# | P’ship | For | Against | Venue | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D Annetts – L Reeler | 3 | 309 | Aus | Eng | Wetherby | 1987 |
| S Mandhana – Shafali Verma | 1 | 292 | Ind | SA | Chennai | 2024 |
| T Kamini – P Raut | 2 | 275 | Ind | SA | Mysore | 2014/15 |
| L Broadfoot – KL Rolton | 4 | 253 | Aus | Eng | Leeds | 2001 |
| Kiran Baluch – Sajjida Shah | 1 | 241 | Pak | WI | Karachi | 2003/04 |
11– This was the 11th instance in Women’s Tests where two (or more) batters reached three figures in the same innings and the second such instance by an opening pair. Smriti and Shafali is the second pair for India to score hundreds in the same innings after Thirush Kamini (192) and Poonam Raut (130) against South Africa in Mysore in 2014. Smriti’s 149 is the highest individual score that is not the top score in an innings surpassing Kathryn Leng’s 144 which was battered by Barbara Daniels’ 160 for England against New Zealand in Scarborough in 1996.
