Teenage Indian Spinner Breaks Two National Records With 14 Wickets To Win Thrilling Women's First-Class Final

With two national records, Vaishnavi Sharma of Team D wrecked Team A in the final of the Senior Women’s Multi-Day Challenger Trophy 2024/25 at Dehradun.0

Vaishnavi is no stranger to records. Earlier this year, she claimed the first hat-trick in the history of the Women’s Under-19 T20 World Cup, against Malaysia. She returned figures of 4-1-5-5 that day.

Now, in the final of the Senior Women’s Multi-Day Challenger Trophy 2024/25, she started with a 32-ball 25 from No.10 to help Team D recover from 140-8 to 201. Then, opening the bowling, she claimed 6-78 to restrict Team A to a 46-run lead. Team D eventually set a target of 199.

This time Vaishnavi ran through the innings with figures of 8-50 to skittle out Team A for 146. These are now the best figures by an Indian in women’s first-class cricket. In fact, the only other eight-wicket hauls by Indians (Neetu David’s and Sneh Rana’s) have come in Test cricket.

Best innings figures by Indians in women’s first-class cricket

Figures	Bowler	Team	Opposition	Venue	Season
8-50	Vaishnavi Sharma	Team D	Team A	Dehradun	2024/25
8-53	Neetu David	India	England	Jamshedpur	1995/96
8-77	Sneh Rana	India	South Africa	Chennai	2024
7-5	Swaroopa Kadam	Maharashtra	Baroda	Vadodara	2007/08
7-7	Swaroopa Kadam	Maharashtra	Gujarat	Vadodara	2007/08

- David and Rana’s performances came in Test cricket.
- David’s figures are still the best in the history of Test cricket.
- Kadam’s spells came in separate matches, but in the span of five days
- The best figures in women’s first-class cricket history are Doris Ten-Cate’s 10-56 for North-Westerns against Southern Transvaal B in 1958/59. They are the only ten-wicket haul in the format.

Vaishnavi’s match figures of 14-128 are also the best ever for Indians in women’s first-class cricket. In fact, none of her compatriots has taken even 13.

Best match figures by Indians in women’s first-class cricket

Figures	Bowler	Team	Opposition	Venue	Season
14-128	Vaishnavi Sharma	Team D	Team A	Dehradun	2024/25
12-25	Swaroopa Kadam	Maharashtra	Baroda	Vadodara	2007/08

In fact, Vaishnavi was only the seventh cricketer to take 14 or more wickets in a match in women’s first-class cricket. No one has done this in nearly half a century.

Best match figures in women’s first-class cricket

Figures	Bowler	Team	Opposition	Venue	Season
15-52	Sheelagh Nefdt	Northern Rhodesia	Southern Transvaal B	Johannesburg	1957/58
15-85	Doris Ten-Cate	North-Western	Southern Transvaal B	Chennai	1958/59
14-59	Phyl Blackler	Canterbury	Otago	Christchurch	1950/51
14-86	Sue Brown	Canterbury	Auckland	Wellington	1977/78
14-99	Doris Ten-Cate	Northern Transvaal	Southern Transvaal B	Johannesburg	1957/58
14-123	Sue Brown	Northerns	Southern Transvaal B	East London	1959/60
14-128	Vaishnavi Sharma	Team D	Team A	Dehradun	2024/25

- Four of the first six entries came against Southern Transvaal in the space of three seasons.
- The previous best match figures in the Northern Hemisphere were Sheryl Bayley’s 13-27 for Barbados against Grenada at Bridgetown in 1975/76.

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