Rahul with opening partner (122 off 248 runs) Mayank Agarwal (60), set a strong stage for India with a stand of 117 to help the visitors reach 272 for three at stumps.
Achievement: , as it happened
captain Virat Kohli (35 out of 94) After working hard under pressure, fell on a loose shot Cheteshwar Pujara Only one ball played.
Rahul and Ajinkya Rahane (40 batting at 81), who is fighting for his place in the team like Pujara, was in the middle of the game. Rahane looked in good touch and would be aiming for a big score on the second day.
except lungi ngidiThe South African pacer was not checking his line and length enough and gave a lot of loose deliveries.
The day belonged to Rahul, who showed remarkable determination and application during his seventh Test century. He reached the three-figure mark in England earlier this year and has also scored a century in every country he has played in.
Stump on Day 1 of the first Test. Brilliant century from @klrahul11 as #TeamIndia end the first day at 272/3.Scorec… https://t.co/1vyWdnxg3H
— BCCI (@BCCI) 1640532527000
Like he did with Rohit Sharma in England, Rahul played with complete clarity, knowing which balls to leave and which balls to go for his shots. His friend and Karnataka teammate Agarwal also made it easy for Rahul from the start by getting aggressive in the partnership.
In the end, Rahul scored 17 fours and a six. He had all his lucrative strokes in his innings, including cover drives and his punch shots from the back foot.
He reached the 90s with a six from Keshav Maharaj and stayed there for some time before reaching the milestone with a gentle steer with a left-arm bowler through point.
He shared a crucial 82-run partnership with Kohli after Ngidi dismissed Agarwal and Pujara in successive deliveries.
(AFP photo)
India’s captain fell the only wicket in the evening session and it was a gift to the struggling South Africa. Kohli went for an expansive drive off a very wide ball, something he didn’t need to do with India in a commanding position.
Earlier, South Africa returned with two wickets in the afternoon session via Ngidi, but India controlled the proceedings at 157 for two at tea time.
India posted 74 in the second session, while Ngidi gave the hosts much-needed success with successive deliveries of Agarwal and Pujara.
Agarwal, who completed his half-century after lunch, was out at the end of the game.
The ball appeared to bounce over the wicket apart from missing the leg-stump, but the on-field decision was reversed when the DRS revealed that it was hitting the wickets, which did not believe Agarwal.
Their fall also ended a memorable partnership, making Rahul and Agarwal only the third Indian opening pair to score centuries in 21 matches in South Africa.
With the sun out, Pujara went inside and was out on the first ball, hitting Keegan Pietersen at short leg with a defensive shot.
Soon after, Rahul completed his fifty with a brilliant cover drive off Ngidi.
In the morning session, Agarwal and Rahul played with the necessary discipline in test conditions to take India for 83 for no loss.
Kohli dared to bat first on the green, which is expected to intensify as the game progresses.
Agarwal hit a point through out Ngidi in the first four of the innings. Rahul, who took 21 deliveries to get off the mark, played a brilliant straight drive off Kagiso Rabada.
Debutant left-arm pacer Jansen made his debut, with Agarwal hitting him for three boundaries in his opening over.
The first ball in Test cricket from the 6ft 8in bowler was a gentle full toss which Agarwal sent duly through cover point. Then the lean pacer bowled a couple into the pads which were crisply flicked.
The South African fast bowlers bowled very little in the first hour of the game. The Dean Elgar-led team also ruined a review at the start of the season.
The only chance for South Africa was diving begging with Quinton de Kock, who dropped Agarwal off Jensen. He was batting on 36 at that time.
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