IND vs SA: Skipper KL Rahul scores fifty in Johannesburg Test to join Virat Kohli, Sourav Ganguly in elusive list
Amid the Indian batting collapse that saw Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane's dismissals off consecutive deliveries, Rahul held fort to take the total past 100 in the second session.
Stand-in skipper KL Rahul added another feather to his already illustrious hat on Monday as he notched up his 13th Test half-century against South Africa on the opening day of the Johannesburg Test. Leading the side in regular skipper Virat Kohli's absence due to upper back spasm, the 29-year-old Rahul continued his rich vein of form to notch up a gritty half-century off 133 deliveries before falling prey to a Marco Jansen short delivery.
Amid the Indian batting collapse that saw Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane's dismissals off consecutive deliveries, Rahul held fort to take the total past 100 in the second session. He added 42 with Hanuma Vihari and a further 25 with Pant before miscuing a hook shot and handing it to Kagiso Rabada in the fine leg region.
Follow LIVE Blog: India vs South Africa Live Score, 2nd Test, Day 1
With 50 on Test captaincy debut, Rahul joined the elite list of Indian captains who have scored 50 or more runs on their debut. Vijay Hazare, who had scored unbeaten 164 back in 1951, tops the panel, followed by Sunil Gavaskar (116 runs) and Virat Kohli (115) on the second and third position respectively.
Sourav Ganguly (84 runs), Chandu Borde (69), Hemu Adhikari (63) and Nari Contractor (62) are also a part of the list that also houses Rahul after his 50 off 133 deliveries.
Rahul also became the fifth Indian captain to get a 50-plus score while opening the innings. Sunil Gavaskar leads the list, having crossed the mark on 25 occasions. Contractor (4 times), Rahul Dravid (2 times) and Virender Sehwag (2) are also a part of the elusive club.
Earlier in the day, Rahul and Mayank Agarwal gave India a steady start as Kagiso Rabada and Duanne Olivier bowled full throttle from both ends. The pair was en route to adding one more impressive opening stand in South Africa before Jansen had Agarwal out caught behind by wicket-keeper Kyle Verreynne.
Duanne Olivier also shone in his return to Test cricket, removing Pujara and Rahane for 3 & 0 respectively. Extra bounce from Olivier resulted in both the senior batters squandering in the first innings. Vihari (20 from 53 deliveries) and Rahul also departed before tea, leaving India reeling at 146/5 with Ashwin (24 not out) and Rishabh Pant (13 not out) in the middle.
