India’s opening batters KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal gave the team a brilliant start on the first day of the opening match of the series with a 100-run opening stand in Centurion. Both Rahul and Agarwal scored half-centuries as part of their remarkable partnership at the SuperSport Park.
As part of their effort, Rahul and Mayank created a number of records and entered a few elusive lists of batters. Rahul and Mayank’s effort was the first time since South Africa’s re-admission to the sport that South Africa have conceded a 100-run opening stand in the first innings of the first Test match of a home series.
In fact, the Indian openers were the only second pair to stitch a 50+ opening stand against South Africa in the first innings of a series opener in the rainbow nation. The only other pair to achieve the same were Chris Gayle and Darren Ganga, who hit a 98-run opening stand in a Test match in 2007.
Further, Rahul and Mayank became only the third Indian opening pair ever to score a 100-plus partnership in a Test match in South Africa and the first to achieve the feat in 11 years. The Karnataka duo joined Wasim Jaffer-Dinesh Karthik and Virender Sehwag-Gautam Gambhir in the elusive list.
List of Indian openers to make 100+ partnerships in South Africa
153 W Jaffer – D Karthik Cape Town 2006/07
137 G Gambhir – V Sehwag Centurion 2010/11
100*KL Rahul – M Agarwal Centurion 2021/22
On their way to the century partnership, both Mayank and Rahul became the first Indian openers to make a half-century on South African soil since Murli Vijay did the same in 2013. Vijay had made a knock of 97 in India’s defeat to the Proteas in the second Test of the series at Durban.
Talking about the match, India won the toss and chose to bat first in Centurion on Boxing Day. Agarwal was dismissed for 60 by Lungi Ngidi to end a 117-run partnership. Cheteshwar Pujara was dismissed for a golden duck on the next ball by Ngidi.
India have gone into the Tea break in a comfortable position at 157/2. Rahul is unbeaten at 68 on the crease along with Virat Kohli, who is currently batting at a score of 19.
