Rohit hits maiden Test double ton before Kohli's declaration at 497/9
Ranchi: Rohit Sharma slammed his maiden double hundred in Test cricket before India declared their first innings at 497 for nine in the third and final match against South Africa here on Sunday.
The second day's tea was also called when skipper Virat Kohli called his last two batsmen back to the dressing room, assured that his team is in control of the game.
Overnight 117, newly-promoted Test opener Rohit, who is also the only batsman to rack up three double hundreds in the ODI format with a world record 264, batted with nonchalance and reached his double century with a six, going from his tea score of 199 to 205 in style.
The 32-year-old smashed six sixes and 28 boundaries on the way to 212 from 255 balls, breaking a slew records in the process.
Rohit's masterful knock virtually overshadowed a fine effort by Ajinkya Rahane (115), who scored his first Test century at home in three years, and 11th overall.
Resuming on 224 for three, Rahane (83 overnight) looked fluent during his 192-ball knock that was studded with 17 fours and a six.
The duo of Rohit and Rahane spent four and half hours in the middle for a record 267-run fourth-wicket partnership, staging India's remarkable recovery after they were reduced to 39 for three on the first day.
That the partnership came at a healthy strike rate -- in 361 balls -- meant that India largely remained unaffected by the first day's rain interruption, which led to play being called off after only 58 overs, giving them a firm push for a 3-0 clean sweep.
After Rohit's departure less than 15 minutes into the second session, Ravindra Jadeja carried forward the momentum at number six, with a 51 off 119 balls.
There was a clear instruction to accelerate the scoring at the drinks break, forcing Jadeja to edge one behind the stumps while trying to play an expansive shot.
After Jadeja's departure, Umesh Yadav propped up the total by smashing five sixes on his way to a 10-ball 31.
Earlier, having dropped Rahane on 105, Heinrich Klaasen made amends by taking a good catch to give debutant George Linde his maiden Test scalp.
A glorious cover drive off Anrich Nortje set the tone for Rahane this morning as he collected three boundaries to enter the 90s before slowing down.
In between, Rahane was tested by Anrich Nortje with a bouncer and one sharp incoming delivery that struck him on his pad.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Sharad Pawar praised RSS after seeing how it burst fake narrative balloon of LS polls: Fadnavis
Nagpur, Jan 10: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday said NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar praised the RSS after realising how the outfit managed to overcome the fake narrative spread by the opposition in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
The opposition had claimed BJP wanted to win 400 seats to change the Constitution and end reservations, a narrative which BJP leaders later claimed hit the party hard.
On Pawar praising the RSS recently, the CM said the MVA was successful in creating a fake narrative during the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
"When assembly polls were approaching, many people from diverse fields who are inspired by the RSS played their role and burst the balloon of this fake narrative. Sharad Pawar saheb is very intelligent. He would have certainly studied this aspect. He realised that this (RSS) is not a regular political power but a nationalist power. In any competition it is good to praise others," he added.
That is why Pawar may have praised the RSS, Fadnavis said.
Speaking at an interaction with senior editor Vivek Ghalsasi at Late Vilasji Fadnis Jivhala programme here, Fadnavis also said he had asked for organisational work when Eknath Shinde was made chief minister in June 2022, but senior leaders asked him to join the government.
He also said Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked him not to behave like an extra-constitutional authority in the government.
He said the decision to become deputy chief minister on the command of the party leadership earned him a lot of praise from the cadre.
After the massive mandate the ruling alliance received in the 2024 assembly polls, Fadnavis said people and party workers would not have been happy if the CM was not from the BJP.
Shinde himself agreed within minutes that the CM must be from the BJP, which itself got 132 seats and was close to a majority of its own in the 288-member assembly, he added.
On Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray meeting him during the winter sessions of the legislature in Nagpur, Fadnavis said he had announced he would not indulge in politics of revenge after becoming CM and all leaders responded positively to it.
On chances of the NCP (SP) and NCP coming closer or reuniting, Fadnavis said, "If you see the developments that took place from 2019 to 2024, I realised never say never and anything can happen. Uddhav Thackeray goes to some other party and Ajit Pawar comes to us. In politics anything can happen though I am not saying this should happen."
He praised BJP leader Arun Gujarati from whom he learnt patience, which he claimed was an important quality in politics along with the ability to take criticism.
In a lighter vein, he said, "I only get angry when I am hungry. If you see me angry then give me something to eat and my anger will go away."
