It was easier to enjoy the Indian batting instead as the visitors put up a rousing performance led by KL Rahul‘s composed century (batting 122; 17×4, 1×6), his seventh in Tests and sixth away from home. It was Virat Kohli’s brave call to bat first that saw India dominate Day 1, putting up 272/3 at stumps to set the platform for a big first-innings score. Kagiso Rabada often fought as a lone ranger. Lungi Ngidi (3/45 off 17 overs) picked up all the wickers, lighting up the middle session with back-to-back scalps of the judicious and in-form Mayank Agarwal (a well-compiled 60; 123 balls, 9×4) and the struggling Cheteshwar Pujara. The nervous left-arm debutant Marco Jansen also offered hope of a brighter future.
Even so, this South African pace attack often looked weary, indisciplined, and out of ideas. Their lack of red-ball match practice showed. The bowlers were guilty in the morning session of not making the batters play enough, allowing the determined opening pair of Rahul and Agarwal to create history with their 117-run stand. This is now the very first Indian opening pair to put on a century stand in the first Test of an away series in SENA (SA, Eng, NZ, Aus) countries.
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He gave the bowlers their due early on and searched instead for timing and poise. The first boundary came in the ninth over and he didn’t look back, punishing anything straying onto the pads. A nice cut shot followed off Wiaan Mulder, the batter getting into position early and rolling his wrists over the shot to indicate this could be his day.
Rahul’s innings gathered momentum in the middle session, a cover-driven boundary off Ngidi bringing up the half-century. He got into the 90s with a six but even at 98, Rahul was leaving balls and playing late. The century, when it eventually came off 218 balls, served a quiet reminder to India’s batters that the need to absorb pressure is key in these conditions.
