Rohit Sharma overcame a nervous start to stroke his first century in his new role as an opener as India reached 202/0 on Day 1 of the first Test against South Africa in Visakhapatnam on Wednesday, 2 October.
Soon after early tea was taken due to poor lighting, it started pouring at the Dr. YS Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium. Play never resumed after that.
Opening the innings in a Test for the first time, Rohit got to the three-figure mark off 154 deliveries – his first century in the format since November 2017.
Mayank Agarwal was unbeaten on 84 at the other end of the crease.
Earlier, Rohit scored a half-century in the first session of the day, while Mayank reached the 50-run mark post lunch.
Sharma hit two sixes and five boundaries and was unbeaten on 52 from 84 balls as India took Lunch at 91/0. Mayank Agarwal was batting on 39 not out at the interval.
It's the first Test since Sunil Gavaskar and Ramnath Parkar paired up against England in 1972-73 that India has selected two fresh openers in a home Test match.
The new duo appeared to be unsure at the crease in the early overs when Sharma struggled against Vernon Philander (0-19), who used the new ball to good effect and hit a brilliant length outside off.
Sharma played and missed a couple of times as he worked hard to counter the little movement Philander generated. At the other end, Kagiso Rabada (0-16) tested Agarwal with some short bowling but without success.
India made slow progress in the first hour, scoring only 37 runs off 15 overs.
India Won Toss, Opted to Bat
India captain Virat Kohli won the toss and opted to bat on a dry looking surface in the first Test of the three-match series.
India is experimenting with its top order. After trying out seven different combinations since September 2017, Rohit and Mayank have been picked as the opening pair for India.
Ravi Ashwin is also making a comeback while Rishabh Pant has made way for Wriddhiman Saha in changes to the India lineup that played in the Caribbean.
In the absence of injured paceman Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma and Mohammed Shami will spearhead the Indian pace attack.
South Africa made a surprising choice to go in with three spinners, playing left-arm spinners Keshav Maharaj and Senuran Muthusamy along with offspinner Dane Piedt. This is Muthusamy's Test debut.
Theunis de Bryun will take up the all-rounder duties, while Vernon Philander and Kagiso Rabada lead the pace attack in what is a younger Proteas' lineup following retirements of Hashim Amla and Dale Steyn.
The wicket is expected to be good for batting on the first two days with spin coming into play from day three.
India vs South Africa Playing XI
India Playing XI: Virat Kohli (captain), Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Hanuma Vihari, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma.
South Africa Playing XI: Aiden Markram, Dean Elgar, Theunis de Bruyn, Faf du Plessis (captain), Temba Bavuma, Quinton de Kock (wk), Vernon Philander, Senuran Muthusamy, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Dane Piedt.
(With inputs from AP)
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