Following their commanding Test wins over Australia and England last year, at lunch on Day 3, it appeared India were on course to repeat the same against South Africa.
Having begun the penultimate day at 236/4, the visitors perished to Sneh Rana’s record figures of 8/77 to fold for 266 as India smelt another huge innings win. But over the next couple of sessions, through Sune Luus’ 109 and an unbeaten 93 from skipper Laura Wolvaardt, South Africa managed a stunning fightback after being forced to follow on, taking the Test to the final day. At stumps on Day 3, South Africa were 232/2, still 105 runs behind India.
Unlike Mumbai – where India played their two Tests last year – the surface in Chennai tested the hosts’ attack like never before. Though the pitch at the MA Chidambaram Stadium still had good bounce and turn, the slowness of it meant Luus and Wolvaardt were able to defend the spinners comfortably.
After the South African collapse in the morning session, it was India who looked more upbeat. But this was a surface where they needed their bowlers to be not just disciplined but also show enough patience. Luus and Wolvaardt, who happen to be best friends off the field, would keep India wicketless for 66 overs after Deepti Sharma got rid of opener Anneke Bosch in the eighth over.
With very little experience of playing on these types of pitches, they found their own methods to survive. In the second session, in front of 7,000-odd fans, they remained in total control, scoring 95 runs in 34 overs. England and Australia didn’t manage to keep India wicketless in a session. The 190-run stand was also the first instance of a pair putting together a partnership of 100 or more against Harmanpreet Kaur’s captaincy. Luus went on to be the first batter to score a Test century against India since Harmanpreet took charge.
Like in the first innings, where she made 65 off 164 deliveries, what stood out about Luus’ batting was her toughness to battle it out in unfamiliar conditions. Having started as a leg-spinner before becoming a lower-middle-order batter, she has transformed into a top-order batter, who is taking up off-spin at the moment. This was an innings that showed how far she has come in the last couple of years.
And watching her friend apply herself, Wolvaardt would learn her lessons. After being trapped LBW to one that kept low in the first innings, the opener used her feet effortlessly. And whenever India’s attack erred in line or length, the two didn’t hesitate to punish them. Whenever it appeared like they were entering a shell, they managed to find a boundary as India’s shoulders began to drop. The fielding didn’t help either as Shubha Satheesh and Deepti shelled two catches each.
After all her frontline bowlers failed to break the stand, it was Harmanpreet who did the job, managing to breach Luus’ defence with a delivery that kept low.
Sneh Rana’s record figures of 8/77 folded South Africa for 266 in the first innings. (Sportzpics)
Rana all over
‘With increasing assistance on the pitch, are you confident of picking up the remaining South Africa wickets quickly on Day 3?’ Perhaps it was too obvious a question during the press conference after a tiring day on Saturday, but Rana just looked straight ahead and smiled before eventually nodding. ‘Of course, we have to be confident only,’ was the short response.
On Day 3, she wasted little time in wrapping up South Africa’s first innings, becoming only the second Indian and third overall to pick up an 8-for in women’s Test cricket. The first Indian to do so could have been watching on. Neetu David, a top spinner during her playing days, is the head of selectors now.
Even on Day 2, when South Africa fought hard to nullify India’s onslaught, Rana was the best Indian bowler on display, patiently operating in the channel in and around off stump, largely trusting her stock delivery, using a harder grip to extract a bit more out of the pitch.
The hard work paid dividends on Day 3. Rana got one to under-spin and beat Kapp’s outside edge. The bail was trimmed and the floodgates opened.
Brief scores: India 603/6 declared vs South Africa 266 (Marizanne Kapp 74, Sune Luus 65; Sneh Rana 8/55) & 232/2 (Sune Luus 109, Laura Wolvaardt 93 batting)
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