Top 5 biggest wins by wickets remaining for India in women’s Tests ft. 2024 vs South Africa
India, under the captaincy of Harmanpreet Kaur, registered a record 10-wicket victory over South Africa Women in the one-off Test in Chennai. Sneh Rana's 10-wicket haul, Shafali Verma's double ton, and Smriti Mandhana's 149 set up the game for the Women in Blue.
This is also India's third consecutive Test win, having previously beaten England and Australia in December 2023 last year. Moreover, it is also the joint-highest winning streak for any team in women's Test matches.
The Indian women have scripted some excellent victories in their Test match history to date. It includes two 10-wicket wins apart from their massive 347-run win over England in 2023 and their innings and 34-run triumph over South Africa in 2014.
However, in this article, we explore the top five biggest wins by wickets for the Indian Women's team in Test matches after their historic victory against South Africa here in Chepauk.
#5 By 5 wickets vs West Indies, 1976
In the fourth Test of the home series against the West Indies in Patna, the Indian women's team clinched a five-wicket victory, which is their fifth biggest in terms of wickets.
Bowling first, the hosts put up a collective effort to bundle out the West Indies for just 127 in the first innings. Shubhangi Kulkarni and Diana Edulji grabbed three wickets apiece. Led by a half-century from Fowzieh Khalili, the Indian team declared their innings at 161/9 in the first innings.
Kulkarni led the charge once again with a stupendous four-wicket haul as the West Indies were skittled out just 88 runs. Chasing a 55-run target in the fourth innings, the hosts lost half the side, however, managed to cross the line in 26 overs with five wickets remaining.
#4 By 6 wickets vs England, 2014
In their only Test match during their tour of England in Wormsley in 2014, Mithali Raj and company completed a landmark victory, beating the hosts by six wickets.
Bowling first, Niranjana Nagarajan claimed four wickets as England were bowled out for just 92 runs, giving India an early edge in the game. However, the visitors were cleaned up for 114, which put the game back in balance.
England were skittled out for 202 runs in the second innings, setting an 181-run target for Mithali and her girls. Veteran pacer Jhulan Goswami picked up four wickets in the second innings, while Shubhlakshmi Sharma, Ekta Bisht, and Shikha Pandey chipped in with two each as well.
Hard-fought fifties from Smriti Mandhana and skipper Mithali set the chase for India, as they romped home in 95.3 overs with the scorecard reading 183/4.
#3 By 8 wickets vs Australia, 2023
Playing Australia at home in the only Test at Wankhede in December 2023, India scripted a historic win, beating the visitors in a Test for the first time since 1977.
The visitors put up 219 runs on the board in the first innings with Pooja Vastrakar (4) and Sneh Rana (3) among the wickets for the hosts. In response, an all-round batting effort from Harmanpreet and her girls saw India post a total of 406 runs in the second innings. Deepti Sharma (78), Smriti Mandhana (74), Jemimah Rodrigues (73), and Richa Ghosh (52), scored crucial half-centuries.
Sneh Rana weaved her magic once again, picking up four wickets as Australia (261 all out) set the Indian Women a target of 75 runs. Mandhana (38*) and Jemimah (12*) remained unbeaten as the hosts made light work of the target, winning the game by eight wickets.
#2 By 10 wickets vs South Africa, 2024
The famous 10-wicket win over South Africa in the only Test in Chennai of the multi-format series (2024) is the second biggest victory for India in terms of wickets.
Breaking the record for the highest team total in an innings, the Women in Blue piled up a massive total of 603/6 declared in the first innings. Shafali Verma slammed a record double-century, while Smriti (149), Richa Ghosh (86), Harmanpreet (69), and Jemimah Rodrigues (55) made vital contributions.
Sneh Rana trapped the visitors with her terrific spin bowling, grabbing eight wickets as South Africa were bowled out for 266 in the first innings. Imposing a follow-on, Rana picked up two more wickets, while Deepti Sharma and Rajeshwari Gaikwad also chipped in with two each, to bowl South Africa out for 373.
Chasing a small target of just 37 runs, India crossed the finish line in just 9.2 overs with 10 wickets to spare.
#1 By 10 wickets vs South Africa, 2002
Touring South Africa in 2002, the Women in Blue scripted their biggest Test victory by wickets in the only Test at Paarl.
Skipper Anjum Chopra (80), Hemlata Kala (64), Mithali Raj (55), Anju Jain (52), and Mamatha Maben (50) propelled the visitors to a solid total of 404/9 declared in the first innings.
Deepa Marathe (3), and Neetu David (2) were among the wickets, as a brilliant effort saw them clean the hosts up for just 150 runs. Jhulan Goswami and Hemlata Kala then grabbed three wickets apiece to skittle South Africa for 266 in the third innings after enforcing the follow-on.
Requiring a mere 13 runs to win, the visitors finished the game in just 1.3 overs with all 10 wickets intact.