"I was fighting the tears a bit" - Aiden Markram following his comeback hundred against West Indies on day one at Centurion

South African opener Aiden Markram revealed that he grew hysterical after a comeback hundred on day one of the first Test against the West Indies at Centurion. The right-hander, who brought up his sixth Test ton, admitted that it has been a relief after a struggling period in Test cricket.

While Markram has been in fine form in limited-overs cricket, he has found himself short of runs in red-ball cricket. Prior to his 115 against the West Indies at Centurion, the 28-year-old's highest Test score was 31 in his last ten innings.

Speaking after the first day's play, Markram conceded that the century meant a lot to me and that it's even more special to get at his home ground.

As quoted by News24, he stated:

"I was fighting the tears a bit. It meant quite a lot to me, it's been a strange journey, so I'm just grateful that it worked out. It's always a bit more special at SuperSport Park when you reach milestones on your home ground because you know some friends and family are present too. There was a lot of relief too. That's what it boiled down to."

The Proteas won the toss and built a mammoth opening partnership of 141; however, the visitors soon hit back with regular wickets. Alzarri Joseph, who broke the opening stand, dismissed the right-hander for 115 with an unplayable yorker at the base of the stumps.

"It's great when a coach backs you like that" - Aiden Markram credits Shukri Conrad

Aiden Markram. (Image Credits: Getty)

Markram, recently appointed as the captain of the IPL franchise SunRisers Hyderabad, underlined that Shukri Conrad has backed him incredibly well and that his messaging has been crystal clear. The right-handed batter stated that he has also worked a lot on his shot-making, adding:

"It's great when a coach backs you like that, it gives you an extra bit of confidence. You also want to do him justice for backing you like that. That's one of Shukri's biggest strengths. He's always very clear in his messaging and you'll know exactly where you stand with reasons provided. I'm grateful that he backs me."

He added:

"I had some nice chats with the coaches and teammates. it's quite difficult to drive here on day one with the slow bounce. I've driven in the past and I'm sure in future I'll make that mistake again, but it's about understanding that at some stage, you can play a certain shot."

At stumps, South Africa were 314-5 and will look to add as many runs as they can.