India vs South Africa: Rohit Sharma Lays Down The Marker With Century As Opener

Rohit Sharma proved his mettle as an opener with a sublime century at the top of the order on Day 1 of the first Test between India and South Africa in Vizag on Wednesday. It also marked his fourth century, first as an opener in Test cricket, which came off 154 balls. Rohit Sharma made run scoring look easy from the onset to keep South Africa on the backfoot. His 154-ball knock was laced with 10 boundaries and four hits over the fence. He also forged a dominating opening stand with Mayank Agarwal to put India in the driver's seat on Day 1.

Rohit Sharma was backed to open for India by skipper Virat Kohli during the pre-match press conference. Rohit Sharma repaid the faith shown in him by playing an effortless knock at top of the order. The 32-year-old was also occasionally seen stepping up to hit the South Africa bowlers for sixes. 

Even after reaching his century, Rohit Sharma continued to play with similar intent and was well supported by Mayank Agrawal as the openers took India to 202/0 at Tea on Day 1.

The Vizag Test also marked Rohit Sharma's first appearance in the longest format since India's tour to Australia in December 2018. 

The Mumbai batsman has made 28 Test appearance for India and scored at an average of 39.62. Apart from the four centuries, Rohit Sharma has also scored 10 half-centuries in the longest format. 

Topics mentioned in this article

India Cricket Team South Africa Cricket Team India vs South Africa, 2019 Rohit Sharma Cricket