India vs South Africa, 1st Test, Day 2: Ashwin, Jadeja push visitors on the back foot after Mayank Agarwal slams double century

Mayank Agarwal brutally pulverized a hapless South African bowling attack on Day 2 of the first Test in Vishakhapatnam, helping India declare at 502 for 7. Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja then jolted the Proteas with early blows to leave the visitors quivering at 39/3 at stumps.

Resuming play at 202 for no loss, the overnight batsmen shouldered the responsibility of laying the foundation for a massive total. Rohit Sharma made his intentions clear right from the outset as he frequently waltzed down the track to punish the spinners.

Mayank too looked proactive at the crease. The youngster maneuvered the spinners efficiently before shifting into fourth gear after reaching his maiden Test hundred. The visitors heaved a sigh of relief when the carnage was terminated by Keshav Maharaj, who had Rohit stumped on 176 after beating the latter on flight.

Minutes after the lunch interval, Cheteshwar Pujara had his furniture disturbed by an absolute peach from Vernon Philander. Debutant, Senuran Muthuswamy had a moment to cherish when he caught skipper Virat Kohli off his own bowling.

Unperturbed by the wickets at the other end, Mayank continued to toy around with the bowling unit in destructive fashion. The flamboyant opener pierced the gaps beautifully while taking the aerial route on numerous occasions, thereby wrestling back the advantage for India.

Mayank sneaked two with a firm push towards long-off to register a spectacular double hundred off 358 balls. The centurion perished soon after the landmark, hoicking a full toss from Dean Elgar straight down the throat of Aiden Markram at mid-wicket.

In pursuit of quick runs, Ajinkya Rahane nailed one straight to cover while Hanuma Vihari was caught by Dean Elgar at long-off. Throwing his bat for the team's cause, Wriddhiman Saha did collect a few boundaries before miscuing a pull off Dane Piedt to Muthuswamy at square leg. Impactful cameos from the lower-middle order powered India past the 500-mark before the anticipated declaration arrived.

On a pitch that slowly begun to lurk its demons, it was always going to be difficult for South Africa's batsmen to harmlessly negotiate the remaining overs.

It took just four overs for Kohli to turn to India's deadly spin combo. Probing the batsmen with his cunning variations, Ashwin breached the defence of Markram to clatter the timber. Theunis de Bruyn was caught behind while attempting a flashy drive off a regulation off-break from the stalwart while Jadeja joined the party when he bowled nightwatchman, Dane Piedt through the gate to cap off a fruitful day for the hosts.

Brief Scores: India 502/7 decl (Mayank Agarwal 215, Rohit Sharma 176) lead South Africa 39/3 (R Ashwin 2-9) by 463 runs.

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