Rohit hit an unbeaten 115 and took India to 202 without loss with Mayank Agarwal — unbeaten on 84 — before rain played spoiltsport.
Indian cricketer Mayank Agarwal (R) and Rohit Sharma (L) greet each other during the first day's play of the first Test match between India and South Africa at the Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam on October 2, 2019. (Photo by NOAH SEELAM / AFP)
Right-handed batsman Rohit Sharma, who was opening for the first time in Test cricket for India, manoeuvred a sensational hundred on the rain-hit opening day of the first Test against South Africa at the ACA-VDCA Stadium on Wednesday.
Rohit hit an unbeaten 115 and took India to 202 without loss with Mayank Agarwal — unbeaten on 84 — before rain played spoiltsport soon after the umpires stopped play — due to bad light — for an early tea.
Earlier, Virat Kohli won the toss and elected to bat.
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In the first session, both the openers played out both Vernon Philander and Kagiso Rabada as they bowled decent lines with the new ball. But once the spinners were introduced, both Rohit and Mayank changed gears.
They scored 91 runs in the first session. In the first hour of the game, both the openers tried to be more assured of their defensive play. There were a couple of nervy moments but once they got past them, the duo made full use of the batting conditions on offer.
Starting the second session at 91 for 0, the Indian openers put on 111 runs in the post-lunch session before umpires called for an early break due to bad light and later the heavens opened up, forcing to call off the match for the day.
The partnership between Rohit and Mayank also saw them register India’s first 100-run partnership at the top of the innings since June 2018.
During the course of his 174-ball knock, Rohit smashed 12 fours and 5 sixes while Mayank hit 11 fours and 2 sixes in his 183-ball innings.
Brief Scores: India: 202 for 0 (Rohit 115*, Mayank 84*) vs South Africa.
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