One-off Test: South Africa fight as centurion Sune Luus makes India toil despite a follow-on; Sneh Rana takes 8/77
One-off Test: South Africa fight as centurion Sune Luus makes India toil despite a follow-on; Sneh Rana takes 8/77
NEW DELHI: Top-order batter Sune Luus scored a century as South Africa reached 232 for two in their second innings after India enforced follow-on on Day 3 of the one-off women's Test. India's off-spinner Sneh Rana had earlier taken eight wickets to bowl South Africa out for 266 in their first innings, trailing India's 603 for six by 337 runs.
South Africa still trail India by 105 runs. Sneh Rana's exemplary eight for 77 in the first innings hastened South Africa's collapse. In South Africa's second innings, Luus, with 109 runs off 203 balls including 18 fours, and skipper Laura Wolvaardt, who is unbeaten on 93 from 252 balls with 12 boundaries, played pivotal roles in their fight back.
Starting from their overnight score of 236 for four, South Africa's Marizanne Kapp (74) and Nadine de Klerk (39) could not sustain their momentum. Kapp fell to Rana, sparking a collapse that saw the team all out after adding just 17 more runs. Rana and Deepti Sharma were instrumental in wrapping up the innings.
Rana's first-innings figures were the second-best in a Women's Test innings for India, behind Neetu David's eight for 53 against England in 1995. Rana now holds the third-best figures overall in a Women's Test innings, with Australia's Ashleigh Gardner's eight for 66 taking the second spot.
Trailing by 337 runs, India enforced the follow-on. The South Africans suffered an early setback when Anneke Bosch was trapped leg-before for nine by Deepti with the score at just 16. It seemed the end was near for South Africa at that point.
However, Wolvaardt and Luus steadied the innings. They took South Africa to 29 for one at lunch and batted through to tea without further damage. By tea, South Africa was 124 for one.
Their partnership became the highest stand for South Africa against India in Test cricket when it crossed 138 runs. Luus achieved a milestone by bringing up her maiden Test century. She became only the second South African to score a Test century against India, following Mignon du Preez's 102 in Mysore in 2014.
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