On Wednesday, the sun hardly appeared. That was insignificant, though, as two brilliant hundreds illuminated the SuperSport Park on the second day of the first Test.
If India appeared to have posted a respectable total in the earlier part of the day thanks to K.L. Rahul (101, 137b, 14×4, 4×6), Dean Elgar (140 batting, 211b, 23×4) made sure South Africa was ahead. At stumps, the advantage was eleven for the host, who was 256 for five.
Covers on the ground had welcomed the players earlier, but it only took 25 minutes for cricket to start. Rahul was had to remain longer at the difficult wicket for India, which came back in at 208 for eight. He carried that out with flair.
Similar to what Pat Cummins has been doing lately, his teammate Mohammed Siraj held on for a long. When the seamer, who contributed five runs, was caught behind off Gerald Coetzee, their ninth wicket partnership was worth 47.
In order to get his hundred, Rahul now required some assistance from Prasidh Krishna, a rookie and colleague from Karnataka. He complied, and the two quickly parted ways, setting Rahul up for another confrontation with Coetzee.
He achieved his hundred by swinging the youthful fast ball over mid-wicket for a six off the final ball of the over. Rahul has scored his second hundred in as many Tests at Centurion, and it appears that this venue is for him what Lord’s was for Dilip Vengsarkar.
And that should rank among his worst career setbacks. He performed superbly against a dangerous Kagiso Rabada on a challenging ground in challenging circumstances, supported by three other pacers, and with the Indian innings in poor shape.
He made excellent defensive plays, chose the appropriate balls to hit, and executed his hits with impressive control. His century came two years ago as an opener, and he is now a middle-order, wicketkeeper batsman, demonstrating his adaptability.
Rahul may not have astonished anybody with his flare and fluidity. A number of people were taken aback by Elgar’s desire to score and the regularity of his fluid drives, though.
At the conclusion of the series, the opener has declared his retirement from international cricket. The 36-year-old still had some cricket left in him based on the manner he batted. The fact that he was able to secure a Test century at his home ground at last should provide him special satisfaction.
Not all Proteas batters displayed as beautiful strokeplay as he did. David Bedingham, making his debut, batted well as well (56, 87b, 7×4, 2×6). It has taken him 86 First Class matches to be granted this chance.
Bedingham may have been taken into consideration sooner, based on his innings. As he and Elgar put up 131 runs for the fourth wicket, he exuded confidence and comfort.
Siraj gave India a head start by forcing Aiden Markram to edge a delivery that was moving away too late. Then, with Keegan Petersen playing on, Jasprit Bumrah got Tony de Zorzi, who had just emerged victorious from the ODI series, caught at slip. For India, the delight was short-lived.