India record highest-ever Test total in women's cricket

India on Saturday recorded the highest team total in women's Test cricket, amassing 603 for six declared on day two of the one-off match against South Africa in Chennai.

Australia held the previous record for the highest total -- 575 for nine declared -- which they posted against South Africa in Perth this February.

India surpassed that mark when Richa Ghosh hammered a four in the first ball of the 109th over bowled by Annerie Dercksen.

Eventually, India declared at 603 for six in 115.1 over following the dismissal of Ghosh for 86.

Much of the credit for the feat goes to Indian openers -- Shafali Verma (205) and Smriti Mandhana (149) -- who shared a stand of 292 -- the highest opening partnership in women's cricket.

India were also well served by Jemimah Rodrigues (55) and skipper Harmanpreet Kaur (69).

On Day 1, India had finished on 525 for four, having posted the highest-ever single-day total in a Test match. They broke the previous record held by the Sri Lankan men's team -- 509 for nine -- against Bangladesh in Colombo in 2002.

Earlier, on Friday in the first day of their one-off Test against South Africa, scoring 525 runs for four wickets, the highest total any team has amassed in a single day of Test cricket.

The total includes fastest double hundred by opener Shafali Verma while her partner Smriti Mandhana contributed with a century at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. The 354 runs scored by both are also the most by openers in an innings in women's Tests.

Shafali scored the double century off just 194 balls. The 20-year-old surpassed Annabel Sutherland's earlier performance this year, where the Australian scored a century off 248 balls against the Proteas.

The previous record for the most runs scored in a single day was set by England's Betty Snowball, who amassed 189 runs on the opening day of a test match against New Zealand in 1935.

Shafali is the second Indian woman as well as the second youngest woman to record a double-century in test matches, following India's Mithali Raj who was 19 when she scored 214 runs against England in Taunton in 2002.