Ton-up Rohit Sharma takes India to a commanding 202/0 at tea against SA
Visakhapatnam, Oct 2: Rohit Sharma made a dream start as a Test opener, scoring an unbeaten 115 off 174 balls to take India to a commanding 202 for no loss at tea on day one of the series opener against South Africa here on Wednesday.
While South African bowlers did trouble the Indian batsmen on a few occasions in the first session, they seemed toothless in the afternoon session where Rohit and Mayank Agarwal (84 not out off 183) scored at a brisk rate.
Rohit, who got to his fifty before lunch, shifted gears and was particularly harsh on the spinners.
He hammered offie Danie Piedt for successive sixes over deep midwicket to get into the nineties before completing his fourth Test ton with a single off debutant spinner Senuran Muthusamy.
The entire dressing room including skipper Virat Kohli stood up to laud Rohit's feat. His unconquered innings comprised 12 fours and five sixes.
At the other end, Agarwal was cruising towards his maiden Test ton. He too looked assured at the crease and played his shots.
Early into the afternoon session, he brought up his half century with a spectacular six over extra cover off Keshav Maharaj.
Clouds gathered over the stadium towards the end of the session and thunderstorms forced the umpires to take the tea break eight minutes before scheduled time.
Earlier, Rohit and Agarwal played out 30 overs in the morning session after safely negotiating the South African pacers Kagiso Rabada and Vernon Philander, taking India to 91 for no loss.
India, who had named their playing on the eve of the first Test, opted to bat on a dry surface with skipper Kohli calling his decision a "no brainer."
Expecting the pitch to turn, South Africa picked three spinners in Maharaj, Piedt and Muthusamy, who is more of a batting all-rounder.
All eyes were expectedly on Rohit whose stop-start Test career has taken a new direction with the management accommodating him at the top of the order.
He left the first ball he faced before driving Rabada past backward point with minimal feet movement for a four.
His second scoring shot was also a boundary as he punched Philander towards backward point. The pitch offered very little to the pacers and spinners in the first two hours of play.
What worked for Rohit was standing outside the crease when Philander was bowling to negate any little swing that was available.
Rabada has the express pace but he did not test the Indian openers as much as Philander.
Rohit and Philander's battle in the first hour was absorbing. Philander, who got the better of Rohit in the warm-up game, challenged Rohit by moving the ball both ways in his opening spell of four overs.
After a few play and misses, Rohit chose to walk down the pitch before South Africa skipper Faf du Plessis asked wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock to stand up to the stumps.
India reached 37 for 0 in 15 overs with Rohit and Agawal looking solid in the middle.
After getting the measure of the surface, Rohit went for his strokes like he does in white-ball cricket.
His first big hit was a typical one as he gently stepped out of the crease to smash Maharaj over long-on. A little later, he played a similar short off Piedt, only this time the ball flew well above the long-on fielder.
Rohit completed his 11th Test half-century towards the end of the session but in a not so convincing fashion. He mistimed a sweep but fortunately it was not in the reach of the fielder and went for four.
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BLR airport sees 34 int'l flight cancellations amid Middle East crisis
Bengaluru (PTI): As many as 34 international flights were cancelled at Kempegowda International Airport on Wednesday as airline operations were disrupted due to the Middle East conflict, officials said.
An airport official said that 18 arrivals and 16 departures were cancelled due to airspace restrictions on March 4 until 23:59 hrs at the Bengaluru airport.
The cancellations impacted several key international sectors connecting Bengaluru with West Asian cities, including Abu Dhabi, Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, Dubai, and Doha.
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Meanwhile, Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL), which operates the Kempegowda International Airport, said that a help desk has been set up at the kerbside of terminal 2 to manage passenger queries and provide on-ground assistance amid the disruptions.
According to BIAL, the help desk is coordinating ground transport, facilitating emergency services, and handling general queries until airline representatives arrive at the terminal.
Given the presence of multiple international carriers operating from the airport, the help desk is functioning as a single-window support system, guiding passengers to the respective ground handlers responsible for airline operations, officials said.
In addition, the airport is providing several passenger amenities at the kerbside, including chairs, drinking water, snacks, medical assistance, sanitary pads, charging stations, and a makeshift feeding facility.
Wheelchairs are also being provided upon request, they added.
