Sneh Rana, an Indian spinner, became the first female Indian spinner to take ten wickets in a Test match at the MA Chidambaram Stadium.
The dominant position was India’s due in the one-off women’s test against South Africa, thanks to Rana’s outstanding performance. When India declared their first innings at 603/6, Rana swiftly destroyed South Africa’s top order by dismissing the captain Laura Wolvaardt, the opener Anneke Bosch, Delmi Tucker, and Delmi Bosch.
With five wickets in the opening hour of the third day, spin bowling maestro Rana reduced South Africa from 236/4 to 266 all out. In the first innings, she took eight wickets, which was the same as Neetu David’s record against England in 1995.
Rana became the second Indian woman to obtain a 10-wicket haul in a Test match, following Jhulan Goswami, when she took two more wickets in South Africa’s follow-on innings. Despite Suné Luus and Wolvaardt putting up a strong partnership of 190 runs, Rana’s endurance on the fourth day solidified the remarkable performance.
The overall tally for Rana’s 65.3 overs, which included 16 maidens, was 10 wickets for 188 runs. Rana cemented her position in cricket history with this record-breaking effort, surpassing Deepti Sharma’s nine-wicket haul against England in 2023.
