“Toying with bowlers”: Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana lead India to a brilliant start on the first day of the Chepauk Test

When it came to the One-off Test, the women from India won the toss and chose to bat first. The openers from India sent panicking through South Africa from the first ball. Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma batted first for the hosts.

At the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chepauk, Chennai, India Women began their One Test match against South Africa on June 28. The match was the follow-up to the just finished ODI series of the current tour, in which the Women in Blue thoroughly defeated the visiting team, winning all three of the games played in Bengaluru.

India women’s cricket team is off to a great start thanks to the outstanding performance of both batsmen, who completed their century. In 161 deliveries, Smriti Mandhana blasted 149 runs, and Shafali Verma also struck a massive hundred.

Shafali Verma was pounding South Africa’s bowling attack whenever the chance arose, and by the time the afternoon session concluded, she had amassed 165 runs.

Following Smriti Mandhana’s dismissal, Satheesh Shubha entered the batting order, however her time at the crease was brief. Nadine de Klerk outperformed Shubha, who could only muster 15 out of 27 deliveries. By the end of Day 1’s second session, the Indian women had scored 334 runs. India produced a fantastic showing in the second session, scoring 204 runs.

Up until the second session, Nadine de Klerk and Delmi Tucker were the only South African women to take wickets, each taking one. This was not the start that the visitors had hoped for after losing handily in the three-game ODI series.

Thanks to Verma and Mandhana’s outstanding start, the Indian women’s team keeps applying more and more pressure as the match goes on.

Also read: India are the early favourites as women’s cricket returns to Chennai

Shafali managed to double her score and reach her first double-hundred, but she didn’t appear to be in the mood to stop her ocular soothing moves. After previous great cricketer Mithali Raj, who had hit the nation’s first double hundred, the young batter became just the second woman to accomplish so with this incredible innings. Notably, Shafali ended her 197-ball stint at the crease by running herself out on 205 balls, making her the fastest cricket player to attain the coveted milestone.

On the first day of the Chennai Test match against South Africa, fans responded in the following ways on X to Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana’s criticism:

Indian Women Cricketers gave history.🇮🇳#ViratKohli #INDvsENG2024 #T20WorldCup2024 #ROADTOSTATEHOUSE #ICCMensT20WorldCup2024 #INDWvsSAW pic.twitter.com/mSr00VBLdn

— yadav Boy Rahul (@yadavBoyRahul4) June 28, 2024

2⃣0⃣5⃣ runs
1⃣9⃣7⃣ deliveries
2⃣3⃣ fours
8⃣ sixes

WHAT. A. KNOCK 👏👏

Well played @TheShafaliVerma!

Follow the match ▶️ https://t.co/4EU1Kp6YTG#TeamIndia | #INDvSA | @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/UTreiCRie6

— BCCI Women (@BCCIWomen) June 28, 2024

Smriti Mandhana’s dazzling performance : 🚀🔥

– Runs: 149
– Balls: 161
– Boundaries: 27 fours, 1 six

Setting records with in women’s Test cricket! 🇮🇳🔥 #SmritiMandhana #WomensCricket #INDWvsSAW pic.twitter.com/fbW6mkQXHt

— XCric (@XForMatchTwets) June 28, 2024

👉Smriti Mandhana 149 against South Africa women team
👉Star of Indian Cricket 💥
👉Show us a better opening pair in Women’s cricket with Shafali Verma 🔥🔥
👉test match #INDvsSA #INDWvsSAW pic.twitter.com/9MBWzjwPss

— Coach Sunil Poonia (@Coach_Poonia7) June 28, 2024

Smriti Mandhana in this Tour against South Africa:

– 117(127) in 1st ODI Match.
– 136(120) in 2nd ODI Match.
– 90(83) in 3rd ODI Match.
– 149(161) in Test Match#indvsa #indvssa #indwvssaw #crickettwitter pic.twitter.com/fN3QqeXQpW

— Chetan Bhadu (@ChetanBhadu4) June 28, 2024

Are the Indian women too good or South Africa very poor? Is the pitch heavily in favour of the batters? Scoring at 5.5 per over consistently is incredible. Waiting for South Africa to bat #INDwvSAw #WomensCricket

— Vijeet Rathi (@vijeet_rathi) June 28, 2024

Delmi tucker strikes and first breakthrough for South Africans🙌

Mandhana missed 150 by a run 💔 but played a amazing inning though 👏👏#indvssa #indvsa #indwvssaw #crickettwitter #womentest pic.twitter.com/QMitsoMAZs

— Chetan Bhadu (@ChetanBhadu4) June 28, 2024

Smriti Mandhana & Shafali Varma double century partnership 🔥🔥🔥

Both scored century 💥

Smriti Mandhana continuing his purple form 🔥🔥🔥

Shafali Varma coming back form 💥#IndwvsSAw #IndvsSA pic.twitter.com/WqNd6G3v4x

— Cric Irfan (@Irfan_irru_17) June 28, 2024

3rd ton 💯 in this series !
4th consecutive 90+ scores !
Smriti Mandhana what are you smoking!
Owned Chinnaswamy , now Chepauk too!
Shefali joins the party too!

🇮🇳 women toying with 🇿🇦 bowlers in Chennai #INDWvsSAW #INDvsSA pic.twitter.com/5znt4V6JoD

— Jackson Dass Antony (@AJacksonDass) June 28, 2024

5⃣0⃣ for vice-captain @mandhana_smriti

5⃣0⃣ for @TheShafaliVerma

1⃣0⃣0⃣-run stand between the two as #TeamIndia make a solid start 💪 💪

Follow The Match ▶️ https://t.co/4EU1Kp7wJe#INDvSA | @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/pCFyHZPqA4

— BCCI Women (@BCCIWomen) June 28, 2024

That maiden international century feeling 💯🤗

Follow the match ▶️ https://t.co/4EU1Kp7wJe#TeamIndia | #INDvSA | @IDFCFIRSTBank | @TheShafaliVerma pic.twitter.com/yynZnKlt8N

— BCCI Women (@BCCIWomen) June 28, 2024

𝙎𝙚𝙣𝙨𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙎𝙢𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙞! 🙌

The #TeamIndia vice-captain brings up her 2nd Test TON 👏👏

Follow the match ▶️ https://t.co/4EU1Kp7wJe#INDvSA | @IDFCFIRSTBank | @mandhana_smriti pic.twitter.com/MmirZJ6u3G

— BCCI Women (@BCCIWomen) June 28, 2024