Rohit, Mayank give India solid start in Vizag Test

Visakhapatnam, Oct 2 (IANS) Things couldn't have gone better for Team India as Rohit Sharma and Mayank Agarwal on Wednesday provided them with a perfect start in the first Test of the three-match series against South Africa.

Rohit, who was opening in Test cricket for the very first time in his career, batted superbly in the first two hours alongside Mayank and the two took India to 91/0 at Lunch on Day 1 of the match at the ACA-VDCA Stadium.

Winning the toss, skipper Virat Kohli had no doubt about electing to bat and both his openers proved him right.

In the first hour of the game, both the openers tried to be more assured of their defensive play. There were a couple of nervy moments but once they got past them, the duo made full use of the batting conditions on offer.

Vernon Philander and Kagiso Rabada did bowl on decent lines and lengths in the initial 10 overs. However, they didn't get any luck as the Indian openers played cautiously and made sure the hosts didn't lose any wicket.

And once the spinners were introduced, both Rohit and Mayank came out with their aggressive intent and collected runs with ease.

Rohit reached his half century in the second last over of the session and brought smiles to all the Indian players sitting in the dressing room.

At Lunch, Rohit was unbeaten at 52 and supporting him superbly was Mayank who was there at the crease on 39.

Brief scores: India 91/0 at lunch (Rohit Sharma 52, Mayank Agarwal 39; Vernon Philander 0/19)