SA vs IND | 1st Test, Day 1: Mayank, Rahul provide India perfect start with 100-run opening stand

The opening duo of Mayank Agarwal and KL Rahul did not let the men in blue miss Rohit Sharma and provided a perfect start to the Test series against South Africa in Centurion. 

The duo remained unbeaten till the end of the first session and extended the valuable opening partnership to a partnership of 100 runs in the afternoon session of the first day.

Both the batsmen were very watchful around the off stump and did not play a lot of deliveries they could afford to leave. However, Mayank, in particular, was not defensive by any sort and punished the Proteas bowling attack whenever they erred in their line and lengths.

The bowling attack comprising of Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi provided a containing start to the Proteas but they bowled a bit too short and wide to the batsmen and allowed them the opportunity to leave balls outside their off stump. They were also guilty of not being able to adapt to the high bounce on the surface and allowed back of a length delivery which the batsmen left even on the line of stumps as they could trust the bounce.

Mayank was more severe against the debutant Marco Jansen and welcomed him to Test cricket with three fours in his first over to seek command over the youngster. The left-armer bounced back quickly and created an opportunity by grabbing the outside edge of his bat but Quinton de Kock spilt the chance to give him a reprieve.

The 82-run partnership is the first opening partnership of more than 50 runs since the opening partnership of 137 runs between Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag in the first Test of the 2010-11 Test series in the rainbow nation.

India have had a long history of struggles at the top of the order in overseas conditions but the story has been remarkably different this year. They could not find an opening pair to stitch long partnerships in the entire decade starting the tour of England in 2011 but they have been able to deliver as many as seven fifty-plus opening partnerships in the longest format this year.

They have had various personnel for the role considering the spells of injuries and indifferent form but almost all individuals have put their hands up. At first, it was the opening pair of Rohit and Shubman Gill in Australia and in the World Test Championship final and then it was the pair of Rohit and Rahul in England, followed by this pair of Rahul and Mayank in the ongoing Centurion Test.