Captain Virat Kohli scored a scintillating unbeaten 83, while Ajinkya Rahane was unbeaten on 52 as the duo put on the first hundred-run partnership of the series and ensured that India took a massive 403-run lead on Day 3 of the fourth Test against South Africa in New Delhi on Saturday.
Here are the statistical highlights of the day’s play.
# Virat Kohli (44) has recorded his highest Test score at Feroz Shah Kotla in Tests, bettering the 41 vs Australia in March 2013.
# Rohit Sharma's first duck in India is his fourth in Tests. He has posted two ducks vs South Africa (both golden ducks) and one each vs New Zealand and Australia.
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# Rohit averages 6.50 in the present series -- his tally being 26 in four innings at a strike rate of 35.13. Both his batting average (minimum two innings) and strike rate are his worst in a Test series.
# As number three batsman, Rohit averages 21.40 in Tests -- his tally being 107 in five innings, including a fifty -- 53 vs Australia at Sydney in January 2015.
# Ajinkya Rahane has managed 179 runs (127 + 52 not out) -- the second highest in a Test match by him behind the 195 (147 + 48) vs Australia at Melbourne in December 2014.
# Rahane, with his aforesaid tally in the Delhi Test, has established an Indian record for a number five batsman in a Test match vs South Africa, surpassing Sachin Tendulkar's 178 (169 & 9) at Cape Town in January 1997.
# Rahane's unbeaten fifty is his third vs South Africa -- his eighth in Tests.
# Rahane is the fourth Indian batsman after Mohammad Azharuddin (109 & 52 at Kolkata in 1996-97), Rahul Dravid (148 & 81 at Johannesburg in 1996-97) and Virat Kohli (119 & 96 at Johannesburg in 2013-14) to post a century and a fifty in the same Test match vs South Africa.
# Cheteshwar Pujara has amassed 202 runs at an average of 33.66 in six innings -- his lowest aggregate in a four-Test series at home.
# Virat Kohli (2989 runs at an average of 44.61 in 41 Tests), including 11 hundreds and 12 fifties in 41 Tests, is all set to complete his 3000 runs in Tests.
# Thanks to his unbeaten 83, Kohli averages fifty-plus (51.88) vs South Africa in Tests -- his tally being 467 in ten innings, including a hundred and two fifties.
# Kohli, at 27 years 28 days, is the third youngest Indian captain to post a fifty-plus at Ferozshah Kotla. At the age of 23 years 34 days, Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi had made an unbeaten 203 vs England at this venue in February 1964.
# During the course of his aforesaid innings, Kohli completed his 1,000 runs in Tests in India -- his tally being 1054 (ave.47.90), including three centuries and seven fifties, in 17 Tests.
# Kohli totalled 891 runs at an average of 55.68, including four hundreds and two fifties -- the second highest tally by an Indian skipper after ten Tests next only to Sunil Gavaskar's 1031 (ave.79.31) including five hundreds and three fifties.
# Kohli and Rahane put on 133 (unfinished) -- India's highest for the fifth wicket vs South Africa in Tests in India, surpassing the 110 between Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Sourav Ganguly at Ahmedabad in April 2008.
# The aforesaid partnership is the second highest for India for the fifth wicket vs South Africa behind the 220 between Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar at Bloemfontein in November 2001. The said unbroken stand of 133 is the first century partnership for any wicket in the current rubber.
# With Ajinkya Rahane, Kohli has managed 1094 runs in 21 innings at an average of 54.70 in 21 innings, including three century partnerships. With Cheteshwar Pujara, he scored1135 runs at an average of 49.34, including 3 stands of 100 or more.
Image: Virat Kohli
Photograph: BCCI
