Vizag Test: Rohit-Agarwal emulate Sehwag-Dravid

Rohit Sharma and Mayank Agarwal became only the third Indian opening pair to share a 300-run partnership in Test cricket.

The duo achieved the feat with a stand of 317 runs on Thursday, Day 2 of the first Test against South Africa, in Visakhapatnam.

Rohit, who played his first innings as opener in Test cricket, was dismissed after scoring 176, while Agarwal registered his maiden Test hundred -- also his first in India in his first innings in a home Test.

Agarwal later converted his Test hundred into a brilliant double before the Indian spinners had the exhausted South Africans in a twirl.

Playing his first Test in India, Agarwal scored 215 off 371 balls.

India declared their first innings at 502 for seven in 136 overs. In response, South Africa lost Aiden Markram (5), Theunis de Bruyn (4) and night-watchman Dane Piedt (0) under floodlights and were 39 for three in 20 overs, trailing India by 463 runs at stumps.

Besides Rohit and Agarwal, other Indian opening pairs to share a 300-plus partnership in Test cricket are Vinoo Mankad and Pankaj Roy (413 runs against New Zealand in 1956) and Virender Sehwag and Rahul Dravid (410 runs against Pakistan in 2006).

It took the 28-year-old Agarwal, who made his debut against Australia in Melbourne in December 2018, eight innings to register his maiden Test century. He also became the 86th Indian batsman to score a hundred in Test cricket.