WTC final: Indian batsmen with the highest partnership
India was taking on South Africa at home in what was a crucial series for them in the ongoing WTC. Rohit Sharma - after transitioning into one of the best opening batsmen in limited-overs cricket - had a chance to flex his muscles as an opener in the longest format.
Striding out to bat in order to resurrect his Test career, Sharma went on to lift an already mighty home record to dizzying heights. He was up against Kagiso Rabada, Vernon Philander and company.
After riding out the tough conditions, Rohit Sharma would go on to play a huge part in Team India's WTC campaign. There is a way to open the batting in Test cricket and Rohit showed immense maturity against the new ball in the first hour.
Sharma was accompanied by Mayank Agarwal, who had made a superb start to his Test career. There was moisture on the surface and Philander beat Sharma's outside edge twice in the third over. Rabada would then get the better of Agarwal twice in the following over.
India's dominance against South Africa in the WTC
However, both batsmen ignored these minor blips and as per ESPNCricinfo, Rohit's control percentage was 72.7 and Agarwal's was 73.08 at the end of the first hour. They had laid the foundation for what was going to be a monumental first innings total.
It was then that the Indian conditions hit the South African bowlers - the small window of assistance had dried out from the surface and the bowlers were rendered helpless. The spinners did come on but did not have the control or the skills to put a lid on the scoring rate.
Following the day's play, Rohit Sharma said:
"No matter what conditions you play in, anywhere in the world, at least the first few overs will do something with the red ball or white ball, whatever it is. You've got to focus on basics at that time, playing closer to the body, leaving the ball."
The experiment to push Rohit Sharma to open the innings at this crucial juncture during the WTC series proved to be a masterstroke.
Both the Indian openers went after Dane Piedt without worrying about the man at long on as they kept clearing the boundary ropes. Rohit Sharma also brought out his sweep and this is where South Africa were beaten. Such was Sharma's dominance that Keshav Maharaj went for 66 in 23 overs while Dane Piedt returned with figures of 43 in seven.
In many ways, this innings in the WTC gave a glimpse into the quality of Rohit Sharma as an opening batsman in Tests and it also established Mayank Agarwal as a premier opener - especially in the home conditions. The duo smacked the South African bowling attack and India were on their way to seizing control of their WTC campaign.
Sharma and Agarwal added 317 runs for the first wicket and this became the third-highest opening partnership for India in Tests. They were behind 413 between Vinoo Mankad and Pankaj Roy against New Zealand in Chennai in 1956. The top spot in the list belonged to Virender Sehwag and Rahul Dravid's partnership of 410 runs against Pakistan in Lahore in 2006.
It was also the biggest partnership for any wicket for India against South Africa as they overtook the previous best held by Virender Sehwag and Rahul Dravid. The duo added 268 runs for the second wicket in Chennai in 2008.
Sharma and Agarwal's partnership remains the highest by any Indian batsmen in their WTC campaign so far. Sharma bagged the Man of the Match award and India went on to win the Test by 203 runs. The home side went on to clinch the series, which gave them a great headstart in their WTC campaign.