Scorecard
all the big hits coming against the Proteas’ spinners. “It is a slow and low pitch. So it is crucial for you that you don’t get stuck at any time,” Sharma said.
Initially, there was that odd ball bowled by Rabada and Philander that made Sharma look uncertain about how he was going to negate the swing. But from South Africa’s point of view, such balls were far and far between. This was Test cricket and Sharma was in no hurry, happy to let the ball go by and in turn let the fast tiring pacers to drain out of energy.
Philander was the first to be taken out of the attack—the humid climate reducing his swing and Sharma further nipping chances of movement by batting out of his crease—and SA captain Faf du Plessis brought on the first of his spinners, Keshav Maharaj. This was the ninth over of the day and the openers were well set.
The off-spinner Dane Piedt made his entry into the game in the 19th over and soon after, so did the left-arm orthodox debutant in Senuran Muthusamy. Now, it was Sharma’s game. The M Agarwal batting R Sharma batting Extras (lb-1, nb-2) Total (for no loss in 59.1 overs)
202 84 115
3
Bowling: V Philander 11.1-234-0, K Rabada 13-5-35-0, K Maharaj 23-4-66-0, D Piedt 7-1-43-0, S Muthusamy 5-0-23-0.
Proteas spinners tried to lure the Indian openers to play the sweep but apart from the uppish stroke that brought Sharma his fifty, neither of the openers fell for the bait.
With the sun shining bright and the spinners getting little turn, Sharma started dancing down the track and lofting the bowler over the long on and long off fences. At lunch, the South Africans would have hoped for the break in momentum to help them and early in the second session, it very nearly did. Sharma played the wrong line off a Rabada length ball, the ball crashed into his pads and the fielders went up in appeal. But o nc e i t was t ur ne d d o wn, Sharma must have known it was going to be this day.
“Opening the batting is a different ball game in red ball cricket,” Sharma said later. “You have to challenge yourself mentally to play the new ball and then take the game forward.” He most certainly did and du Plessis helped by removing the close-in fielders. The 100-run partnership was brought up in the 36th over, and then Agarwal too got to his half-century with a glorious six off Maharaj that sailed over extra cover.
At the other end, Sharma had his eyes on a three-figure score. Two consecutive sixes off Piedt took him into the nineties, and a single off Muthusamy took him to his first Test century in two years, but more importantly his first Test hundred in his very first innings as an opener. He would’ve made more hay had there been sunshine, but the rains ensured that the South Africans got much needed respite from India’s openers by tea, with no further play possible thereafter.