Indian women’s cricket has witnessed some extraordinary bowling performances over the years and Sneh Rana follows Neetu David on an elite list becoming the second Indian to pick up eight wickets in an innings. Sneh achieved this feat in the one-off Test against South Africa Women at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chepauk. Let’s go through the list of these top five performances of best bowling figures in an innings for India.
1) Neetu David 8/53 vs England: 1995 Jamshedpur 1995:
It was in 1995 against the English side, that Neetu David registered the best bowling figure for India surpassing Gargi Banerji’s 6/9 which came in 1985. By achieving this feat, she became the first Indian to take an eight-wicket haul in a Women’s Test innings. Her spell restricted England to 194 in their second innings. She bowled a total of 31 overs which included 12 maidens ending with a spell of 53 runs picking eight wickets. Neetu’s spell remains one of the greatest individual performances in women’s Test cricket.
2) Sneh Rana 8/77 vs South Africa, Chennai 2024:
Sneh Rana became the second Indian to pick up eight wickets in an innings during the one-off Test against South Africa at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chepauk. Rana followed in the footsteps of Neetu David, who was the first to achieve the feat during the Jamshedpur Test, against England, in 1995. Notably, Rana became the third woman to take an eight-fer in Test cricket. She surpassed Gargi Banerji’s 6/9 against New Zealand at Cuttack, which previously held the second-best bowling figures by an Indian woman in Test cricket. Rana joins India’s Neetu David (8/53 vs England, 1995) and Australia’s Ashleigh Gardner (8/66 vs England, 2023) in achieving this record.
3) Gargi Banerji 6/9 vs New Zealand, Cuttack 1985:
Gargi Banerji delivered a stunning bowling performance against New Zealand in Cuttack in 1985, taking 6 wickets for just 9 runs. She delivered the best bowling performance in an innings before Neetu David surpassed it in 1995. Her spell came in New Zealand’s first innings which was also one of the most economical & devastating spells. Her ability to consistently hit the right areas left the New Zealand batters with no answers.
4) Diana Edulji 6/64 vs Australia, Delhi 1984:
Diana Edulji’s spell of 6/64 against Australia in 1984 is fourth on the list. Edulji, the left-arm spinner, delivered a superb spell of 6 wickets for 64 runs against Australia in Delhi in 1984. Although the match ended in a draw, it was a historic moment for the Indian women’s side & Diana Edulji as it was the best bowling figure topping the chart back then.
5) Shubhangi Kulkarni 6/99 vs Australia Perth 1977:
Bowling in foreign pace-friendly conditions, Kulkarni’s leg-spin posed a considerable challenge to the Australian batters. Shubhangi’s six wickets highlighted her as a premier spinner of that era. Though her spell came in a losing cause as Australia went on to win the match by 147 runs, her ability to generate turn and deceive the batters with flight and guile earned her a well-deserved six-wicket haul.