Mayank Agarwal makes 215 runs of his maiden test century
Visakhapatnam, Oct 3: Mayank Agarwal converted his maiden Test ton into a double century, putting India in a strong position at tea on day two of the series-opener against South Africa, here on Thursday.
Agarwal, who resumed on 138 after lunch, showed remarkable concentration and endurance to bat the majority of the afternoon session which was extended by 30 minutes to make up for overs lost due to rain on day one.
At tea, India were 450 for five with Agarwal getting out towards the end of the session when he flicked one from Dean Elgar towards deep mid wicket where a diving Dane Piedt took the catch.
Agarwal's phenomenal 215 off 371 balls included 23 fours and six maximums.
India made 126 runs in the session at the loss of four wickets.
South Africa struck through pacer Vernon Philander first ball after lunch, raising hopes of a South African fightback. Cheteshwar Pujara (6) was the man dismissed, bowled off a Philander beauty that moved away just enough to rattle his off-stump.
Captain Virat Kohli (20) joined Agarwal in the middle and looked in sublime touch during his short stay. He was disappointed to get out after getting set. A regulation ball stopped on Kohli who ended up offering a simple return catch to debutant Senuran Muthuswamy.
The focus of the Indian batsmen in the session was on increasing the scoring rate and score as much as possible before the already struggling South Africa come out to bat.
Ajinkya Rahane (15) gave Keshav Maharaj his second wicket.
In the morning session, Agarwal completed his maiden Test hundred while Rohit Sharma made 176 on his opening debut.
Rohit, who hit 23 fours and half a dozen sixes, was eventually dismissed in the 83rd over. At lunch India were 324 for one in 88 overs with the host scoring 122 runs in the session at 4.28 runs per over.
Rohit and Agarwal, who resumed their innings at 115 and 84 respectively with India at 202 for no loss, did not take long to register India's highest opening stand against South Africa, surpassing the 218 made by Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag at Kanpur in 2004.
A little later, when the duo crossed the 268-run mark, their stand became the highest against the Proteas for any wicket, surpassing Rahul Dravid and Sehwag's effort in 2007-08.
Like on day one, Philander created some discomfort for the batsmen in the opening hour but apart from that, it was smooth sailing for the home team. Rohit was dropped on 125 off Philander when keeper Quinton de Kock, who was standing up to the stumps, fumbled to take a sharp catch.
Two balls from Philander kept low, taking both Rohit and Agarwal by surprise but after that they toyed with the opposition attack. None of South Africa's three spinners were impressive though Keshav Maharaj did have Rohit stumped towards the end of the session.
Offie Piedt was expensive again.
Rohit and Agarwal scored the boundaries at will, especially against the spinners and with the surface not doing much, they also played the reverse sweep effectively.
After reaching three figures with a single, Agarwal stepped up the offensive. He dispatched Piedt for a massive six over deep midwicket before reverse sweeping him for a four in the same over.
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Karnataka rolls out climate action plan to tackle global warming: Minister Khandre
Bengaluru (PTI): Minister Eshwar Khandre on Tuesday said that a Karnataka state action plan on climate change has been formulated to mitigate the impact of global warming and climate change, and directions have been issued to ensure its proper implementation.
Speaking after presiding over a seminar on extreme heat and its impact on Bengaluru, organised by the Karnataka Media Academy, he said the Environmental Management and Policy Research Institute (EMPRI), which comes under the environment department, has taken steps to implement the action plan in coordination with various state government departments.
He said training programmes are being organised in cooperation with zilla panchayat offices for district officials and other related institutions regarding the implementation and progress of the Karnataka state action plan on climate change.
The Forest, Ecology and Environment minister said such programmes will be conducted in all 31 districts of Karnataka.
According to a statement issued by the minister’s office, in terms of climate resilience, Khandre said a dedicated radio programme, “Havamaana Mitra” (weather friend), was launched in April 2025 to share information on best practices, and 24 programmes have so far been broadcast on Akashvani.
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He said these efforts aim to create public awareness.
Khandre emphasised that due to global warming and climate change, even seasons are changing today.
“Keeping this in mind, after becoming Forest Minister, I have been making every effort to increase green cover, especially in Bengaluru city,” he said.
He noted that during the last three years, about 11 crore saplings have been planted in the state, and information on their survival rate has been made available on the Forest Department website.
According to him, encroachments on about 250 acres of forest land worth around Rs 10,000 crore in several parts of Bengaluru, including Kothanur, Kadugodi, B M Kaval, and Turahalli, have been cleared.
Thousands of saplings have been planted and groves created on the cleared land, thereby preserving lung spaces essential for Bengaluru city.
The minister also recalled that more than 400 acres of forest land in Peenya plantation had earlier been allotted to the central government-owned HMT for industrial purposes.
He said HMT had sold 160 acres of this land, while 280 acres remain, and a decision has been taken to reclaim it for the department to preserve an essential lung space for Bengaluru. A legal battle is underway, and the case is currently in the Supreme Court.
In addition, he said 444 acres in the Jarakabande area had been allotted to the Indian Air Force. Under the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, forest land cannot be diverted without due process. Hence, in 2017, the then Deputy Commissioner cancelled the land allotment.
“Steps are now being taken to reclaim this forest land and preserve the green space,” he said.
Khandre also highlighted that the Yelahanka Air Force Station in Gantiganahalli, where the international air show is held once every two years in Bengaluru, is on forest land.
He said 159 acres in Gantiganahalli village is classified as a reserved forest area.
“If the Air Force submits a proposal for diversion and provides alternative land, this area may be considered for transfer; otherwise, steps will be taken to reclaim it for the forest department,” he said.
“The Indian Air Force is presently using this area as a runway. However, the RTC and mutation records are in the name of the Forest Department, and the land has not been legally converted. Hence, this forest land will be reclaimed,” he said.
He added that the government has resolved to construct a major biological park on 153 acres at Madappanahalli in Bengaluru North taluk, and cabinet approval has been obtained.
“The CM will lay the foundation stone next month. This will be the largest park after Lalbagh and Cubbon Park. It would not be incorrect to call this an achievement of the century,” he said.
