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India vs South Africa, 1st Test: Mayank Agarwal, KL Rahul give tourists a solid start in morning session

Openers Mayank Agarwal and KL Rahul gave India a solid start in the morning session of the opening Boxing Day Test against South Africa here at SuperSport Park on Sunday (December 26).

India vs South Africa, 1st Test: Mayank Agarwal, KL Rahul give tourists a solid start in morning session

Centurion, Dec 26: Openers Mayank Agarwal and KL Rahul gave India a solid start in the morning session of the opening Boxing Day Test against South Africa here at SuperSport Park on Sunday (December 26).

At lunch break, the visitors reached 83 without a loss in 28 overs and made a strong start in the opening session of the opening Test.

After captain Virat Kohli elected to bat first, the onus lied on the shoulders of Karnataka buddies to see through the initial few overs cautiously on a greenish surface with overcast conditions. The duo brilliantly performed their duty in the first 30 minutes of the play and blunted the new ball.

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Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi started the proceedings with the new ball for the Proteas but their line and length looked wayward and indisciplined. Both the openers had enough time to settle as the hosts failed to make use of the conditions and couldn't pose any challenge.

Agarwal drove Lungi Ngidi through point for the first four of the innings. Rahul, who took 21 balls to get off the mark, played an exquisite straight drive off Kagiso Rabada to get going.

The Proteas handed debut cap to the 21-year-old left-arm pacer, Marco Jansen, with the hopes to unsettle Indian batters. The 6"8' tall seamer tried to unsettle the batters and almost had Mayank Agarwal caught behind but wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock failed to pouch it.

South Africa vs India, 1st Test: Toss & Playing Updates: Kohli elects to bat; Jansen debuts for SASouth Africa vs India, 1st Test: Toss & Playing Updates: Kohli elects to bat; Jansen debuts for SA

Mayank, however, accumulated runs at a decent pace and went on scoring 46* off 84 deliveries. The talented right-handed batsman was the aggressor with the bat but he also lost his concentration on several occasions. His knock was studded with seven boundaries.

Jansen made a nervy start to his career with Agarwal dispatching him for three fours in his opening over. The 6 feet 8-inch bowler's first ball in Test cricket was a gentle full toss which Agarwal duly dispatched through cover point.

Then the lanky pacer bowled a couple into the pads which were crisply flicked away. The South African pacers bowled a tad too short in the first hour of play with India reaching 42 for no loss.

Rahul scored 29, including four boundaries, runs in the session but he looked more composed and settled as he showed respect to the good deliveries and punished the looseners.

For South Africa, nothing went their way in the session as Rabada, Ngidi, Jansen looked ineffective first up. Later, captain Dean Elgar introduced seamer Wiaan Mulder into the attack to break the partnership but in vain. Spinner Keshav Maharaj was also operated for an over before the lunch break but he too failed to make any inroads.

Story first published: Sunday, December 26, 2021, 16:31 [IST]
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