Ashwin, Jadeja add to battered Proteas’ agony
VISAKHAPATNAM: The dropped chance of Rohit Sharma in the fifth over of Day 2 was an indicator of things to come. Vernon Philander’s length ball had got an outside edge off the Indian opener but Quinton de Kock could not hold on to it. Sharma was batting on 125 then, with his opening partner Mayank Agarwal on 90. The visitors, unsurprisingly, paid dearly. The two Indian openers flourished in each other’s presence on the flat wicket.
If Sharma’s century in his debut match as a Test opener was the single point focus of Day 1’s narrative, Day 2 belonged to Agarwal’s perfectly calibrated double ton (215, 371b). The two were involved in a 317-run stand, the third highest opening partnership ever for India. It was also the highest stand ever by an Indian pair against South Africa.
The Proteas did strike in the post lunch sessions as India tried to accelerate the scoring, declaring on 502/7.
Those strikes did nothing to boost the visitors’ confidence; South Africa crumbled to 39 for three at stumps, succumbing to R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja on a deteriorating pitch.
But before that last hour hustle, it was all about a powerpacked display by Sharma and Agarwal, much to the growing despair of the South Africans.
Playing with a straight bat, Agarwal had looked assured on Day 1, and was equally unfazed on Day 2. It did not take him long to convert his overnight score of 84 into his maiden ton. In the 10th over of the day, he pushed Keshav Maharaj towards third man for a single to reach the mark. It was the first time since 2009 (Phil Hughes and Simon Katich for Australia) that both batsmen of an opening pair reached the century mark against South Africa.
Sharma and Agarwal complemented each other. Even as the former went after Maharaj, the latter kept his calm and played the perfect ally, simply digging in further. Once that was done, the reverse sweeps came in, as well as the smashes over midwicket against the spinners. “Risk free” runs, said Agarwal.
“When I played the reverse sweep, the thing we were talking about was that I don’t really reverse sweep. It was good that we were able to manipulate the field,” Agarwal said.
Even when Agarwal stepped out to and lofted the likes of Dane Piedt and Senuran Muthusamy over the boundary, there was no hint of risk. Though Sharma was stumped while on 176—beaten by the flight and turn from Maharaj—and Cheteshwar Pujara was bowled by Philander in the first ball after lunch, Agarwal remained steady at the other end.
Virat Kohli joined him and India cruised. When Kohli was caught and bowled by Muthusamy, Agarwal carried on. He had taken 203 balls to complete the first 100 runs but needed only 155 balls to complete the next. When he reached the mark with a two off Maharaj, there was elation as he raised his arms and soaked in the afternoon sun.
SPINNERS STRIKE
It was now the Indian spinners’ turn to take over. Ashwin started the onslaught as he beat Markram’s forward defence to bowl him in the eighth over. He struck again in the 17th over; this time Theunis de Bruyn went to reach for a wide delivery and got stumped by Wriddhiman Saha. Two comeback men combining to great effect—Ashwin last played for India in December 2018, and Saha in January 2018. South Africa only have more devastation to look forward to.