After India put up a historic 603 runs total on the scoreboard, Sneh Rana took 3 wickets for 61 runs in 20 overs on day 2, leaving South Africa at 236/4 by the end of 2nd day’s play. The following day, she continued her exceptional performance, dismantling the South African batting lineup and ending their first innings at 266 in 84.3 overs. Rana added another five wickets to her tally, making history as the first player to claim an 8-wicket haul in the first innings of a women’s Test match.
The seasoned Indian spinner registered her best bowling figures in the red ball format after claiming eight wickets against the Proteas, surpassing her previous best of four wickets for 63 in 1st innings against Australia in 2023 at the Wankhede.
Best Bowling Figures in 1st/2nd innings of a W-TEST match:
Sneh Rana 8/77 vs South Africa, Chennai 2024
Mary Duggan 7/6 vs Australia, Melbourne 1958
Betty Wilson 7/7 vs England, Melbourne 1958
Myrtle Maclagan 7/10 vs Australia, Brisbane 1934
Anne Palmer 7/18 vs England, Brisbane 1934
Etched in history books! 🚨
Sneh Rana becomes only the 3rd player ever to take an 8-fer in a Women’s Test Match 🙌🏻 #CricketTwitter #INDvSA pic.twitter.com/A21PtfJMNj
— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) June 30, 2024
Rana capitalized on Chepauk’s inconsistent bounce, which has significantly deteriorated since the start of the Test match. Her first victim in the Proteas’ first innings was the South African captain Laura Wolvaardt, whom she trapped in front of the stumps with a ball that kept low. Later, she dismissed the other opener, Bosch, who looked good before being dismissed for 39. She finished day one with impressive figures of three wickets against 61 runs in 20 overs.
There were a few chances put down, such as Nadine de Klerk in the dying minutes of the game and Sune Luus in the second session, which if taken, would have handed Sneh a milestone on day one itself. However, it was her exceptional bowling that took five wickets on day two, putting India in the driver’s seat as the Proteas scrambled for 266 in the first innings, adding only 30 runs and losing six wickets in less than an hour plays on the morning of day 3.
Her first spell got underway straight on day three when Harmanpreet handed her the ball immediately. She struck right after the start, dismissing the settled Marizanne Kapp for 74. It was her variations and precise line that drew out false shots, proving successful with her best bowling figures of eight wickets for 77, which are the third-best bowling figures in the innings of the red ball format and the second-best by an Indian.
It was Sneh vs South Africa on Day 3. 😎#CricketTwitter #INDvSA pic.twitter.com/sjXj27NSjh
— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) June 30, 2024
Best bowling figures in an inning of the W-TEST match:
Neetu David 8/53 vs England, Jamshedpur 1995
Ashleigh Gardner 8/66 vs England, Nottingham 2023
Sneh Rana 8/77 vs South Africa, Chennai 2024
Mary Duggan 7/6 vs Australia, Melbourne 1958
Betty Wilson 7/7 vs England, Melbourne 1958