SOUTH AFRICA TOUR OF INDIA, 2019

Mayank Agarwal ends India's decade-long wait

by Deepu Narayanan • Published on

Mayank Agarwal became the first Indian opener since Virender Sehwag (2009/10) to score a double century © BCCI

Statistical highlights from the second day of the first Test between India and South Africa in Vizag

4 - Mayank Agarwal became the fourth Indian to convert his maiden Test century to a double hundred. The ones to do so before him were Dilip Sardesai, Vinod Kambli, and Karun Nair. This was the first double century for an Indian opener in Test cricket since Virender Sehwag's 293 against Sri Lanka in 2009/10.

Highest maiden Test hundred for India

Player Score Against Venue Season Test# Karun Nair 303* Eng Chennai 2016/17 3 Vinod Kambli 224 Eng Mumbai WS 1992/93 3 Mayank Agarwal 215 SA Vizag 2019/20 5 Dilip Sardesai 200* NZ Mumbai BS 1964/65 14 Budhi Kunderan 192 Eng Chennai CS 1963/64 9

8 - Innings taken by Mayank to his maiden double hundred - joint third quickest for India alongside Sunil Gavaskar. The two players to get there quicker were Karun Nair (three) and Vinod Kambli (four).

Partnership records galore for Rohit and Mayank

317 - The opening partnership between Rohit Sharma and Mayank - the third-highest for India for the first wicket after 413 by Vinoo Mankad and Pankaj Roy against New Zealand in 1955/56 and 410 by Virender Sehwag and Rahul Dravid against Pakistan in 2005/06.

Highest opening partnerships for India

Players Partnership Against Venue Season Vinoo Mankad - Pankaj Roy 413 NZ Chennai CS 1955/56 Rahul Dravid - Virender Sehwag 410 Pak Lahore 2005/06 Mayank Agarwal - Rohit Sharma 317 SA Visakhapatnam 2019/20 Shikhar Dhawan - Murali Vijay 289 Aus Mohali 2012/13 Shikhar Dhawan - Murali Vijay 283 Ban Fatullah 2015 Gautam Gambhir - Virender Sehwag 233 SL Kanpur 2009/10

1 - Opening partnership against South Africa higher than 317 between Rohit and Mayank - 359 by Cyril Washbrook and Len Hutton at Ellis Park in Johannesburg in 1948/49. The previous highest opening stand against South Africa since their re-admission in 1992 was 273 by Marcus Trescothick and Andrew Strauss in Durban in 2004/05. This was the first 200-plus opening partnership conceded by South Africa since 2007/08.

- Partnerships higher than 317 for India for any wicket against South Africa in Tests. Rohit and Mayank broke the previous record of 268 by Sehwag and Dravid for the second wicket in Chennai in 2007/08. India's previous highest opening stand for India against South Africa was 218 by Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir in Kanpur in 2004/05.

1 - Opening pair scoring more partnership runs in their first outing than 317 by Rohit and Mayank in this Test. Sehwag and Dravid put together 410 against Pakistan in their first innings as an opening pair. The third highest in the list is also an Indian pair - 289 by Murali Vijay and Shikhar Dhawan against Australia in 2012/13.

3 - India became the third side after England and Australia, whose both openers scored hundreds in the same innings against South Africa. Also, it was the fourth instance of both Indian openers scoring 150+ in the same innings.

Both openers scoring 150+ in same innings (India)

Player 1 Score 1 Player 2 Score 2 Against Venue Season Vinoo Mankad 231 Pankaj Roy 173 NZ Chennai CS 1955/56 Murali Vijay 153 Shikhar Dhawan 187 Aus Mohali 2012/13 Murali Vijay 150 Shikhar Dhawan 173 Ban Fatullah 2015 Mayank Agarwal 215 Rohit Sharma 176 SA Vizag 2019/20

176 by Rohit is fourth-highest by any player in his maiden innings opening the batting. South Africa has been his bogey opponent in Test cricket with his previous 12 innings against them yielding him just 147 runs at an average of 12.41.

Highest score in maiden innings as opener

Player Score For Against Venue Season Brendon Kuruppu 201* SL NZ Colombo CCC 1986/87 Graeme Smith 200 SA Ban East London 2002/03 Shikhar Dhawan 187 Ind Aus Mohali 2012/13 Rohit Sharma 176 Ind SA Vizag 2019/20 Hamish Rutherford 171 NZ Eng Dunedin 2012/13

12 - Sixes hit by India's openers - six each by Rohit and Mayank - the most by openers in an innings. The previous most was 11 each - by Australia against Zimbabwe in 2003/04 and New Zealand against Pakistan in 2014/15. The previous most for India were eight each by the pair of Navjot Sidhu and Manoj Prabhakar against Sri Lanka in 1993/94 and Sehwag and Vijay against Sri Lanka in 2009/10.

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