Sushma Verma falls just five runs short of world-record first-class score

Verma’s mammoth knock led North Zone to the multi-day trophy on first-innings lead. After batting at No.5 and 6 in the quarterfinal and semifinal, the veteran was promoted to open the innings, with another India wicketkeeper-batter, Taniya Bhatia, slotting in the middle order.

West Zone batted first in the final at the Siechem Stadium in Puducherry, and fifties from Vrushali Bhagat (85), Poonam Khemnar (52) and captain Radha Yadav (94) took them to 359. Radha, who won the 2025 World Cup with India, had notably starred for West Zone in the One-Day Trophy final with a 92-run knock and a record seventh-wicket partnership.

In reply, North Zone batted big in their first innings of the four-day game to take the lead and seal the title. Verma lost her opening partner Tanisha Singh cheaply in the tenth over, but Ayusha Soni dug deep with her, with the duo adding 231 runs for the second wicket, during which both batters completed their respective centuries. This was Verma’s first ever first-class score in excess of fifty.

A 2017 World Cup finalist, she took control in two more crucial partnerships, 54 with Priya Punia and 82 with Shweta Sehrawat, to take the team past West Zone’s first-innings score while also completing her maiden double century. She ultimately finished at 237, surpassing her previous best of 33 by over 200 runs. West Zone eventually finished at 484, taking a massive 125-run lead to seal the title.

Women's first-class highest individual scores, full list