Shafali: Double ton vs SA is a 'precious treasure'

IMAGE: Shafali Verma exults after completing her double century. Photograph: BCCI Women's / X

Shafali Verma emerged from a recent slump in batting form with a bang, smashing a record-breaking 205 against South Africa on the opening day of the one-off Test. The knock, which she cherishes as a "precious treasure," was a defining moment for the young Indian opener.

Verma's double century, achieved in just 194 balls, shattered the record for the fastest 200 in women's cricket, previously held by Australia's Annabel Sutherland. This knock also propelled India to a record-breaking end-of-day score of 525 for 4 wickets.

"It's a special moment for me and I will savour it as a precious treasure for the rest of my life," Shafali expressed at the post-match press conference. She ranked this knock as her second most cherished after her heroics in the U-19 T20 World Cup win.

The hard-hitting batter acknowledged the importance of her focused training regime leading up to the series. "I couldn't convert the starts I got in the ODIs against South Africa in Bengaluru. Today, my plan was to be patient as the ball had early movement, and their bowling was good," she explained.

IMAGE: Earlier, Shafali Verma completed her century - her first across all formats for India. Photograph: BCCI Women's / X

Shafali elaborated on her strategy, "I backed my strengths and focused on settling down gradually. Thankfully, I managed to get my first 100 and 200 in the same innings, which is a tribute to my hard work. I'm really happy to contribute to the team's strong position."

The 20-year-old's previous best score was 96 against England three years ago. She admitted to experiencing some nervousness when approaching the 90s mark.

"No one forgets getting dismissed on 96, and I definitely remembered that moment today. My only thought was to score those four runs. Even as I neared 200, I just kept backing myself," she revealed.

The South African bowlers, particularly the spinners, struggled on the Chennai pitch. Delmi Tucker emerged as the most successful bowler with 2 wickets for 141 runs. However, Shafali observed the pitch starting to show signs of turn towards the end of the day. She expressed confidence in the Indian spinners, believing they will come into play effectively when given the opportunity.

"Although the spinners lacked turn initially, there was some turn evident in the post-tea session. So, I'm hoping our spinners will be a handful tomorrow," Shafali concluded with a hopeful outlook for the remainder of the Test match