Highlights, India vs South Africa, 1st Test: Rain forces early stumps on Day 1, India 202/0

K Maharaj to Sharma, Loopy ball on middle, Sharma defends it back to the bowler.

K Maharaj to Sharma, Flighted delivery on off, Rohit defends it off the front foot.

K Maharaj to M Agarwal, Starts with a full delivery outside off, Mayank drives it towards the cover region for a single. He gets his first run of the day.

Keshav Maharaj to partner Philander from the other end. 23-4-66-0, his figures on Day 1. South Africa need him to step up here.

V Philander to Sharma, Outside off, left alone by Sharma.

V Philander to Sharma, BEATEN! Lucky that one for Rohit! It is a good length delivery outside off which kept a little low. Rohit looks to drive but misses it completely. The ball misses the off stump by a whisker.

V Philander to Sharma, On a length outside off, Rohit drives this to cover for nothing.

V Philander to Sharma, FOUR! Poor line from Vernon Philander! Bowls a good length delivery on the pads, Rohit flicks it away nicely towards the fine leg region. Maharaj at deep square leg runs in and tries to make a diving stop to his right but fails to do so. First boundary of the day for Rohit and India are underway on Day 2.

V Philander to Sharma, Starts with a good length delivery on middle and leg, Sharma defends it out off the back foot.

The Protea players make their way out to the middle with just one aim in mind - dismiss the Indian openers as fast as they can and then start building on from there. The Indian openers, Rohit Sharma and Mayank Agarwal walk out to the middle as well with the former taking strike. Vernon Philander to continue the proceedings for the visitors on Day 2.

Pitch Report - On being asked about the pitch, Mr. Sunil Gavaskar suggests that nothing much has changed about the pitch. There might be a little more turn today but not much bounce on this track. Mr. Gavaskar further suggests that because of the overnight rain yesterday, the fast bowlers might be able to use it to their advantage in the first ten overs of the day.

Good morning folks! India were absolutely dominant on Day 1, crossing the 200-run mark without losing any wickets. They certainly looked like adding more to the score before the heavens opened up and washed out the third session. Rohit Sharma silenced his critics with a wonderful unbeaten century and would be looking to add more to his tally today. His partner, Mayank Agarwal is close to reaching his first Test ton and would be hoping to accomplish the milestone early in the first session. The Proteas had a horrid time yesterday with none of their bowlers having a good day. They would be hoping for a better performance as this match is slowly getting out of hand. It is a new day and both teams will have to start fresh. There is rain predicted today as well but let us hope that it stays away and we have an exciting day of Test cricket ahead of us. Join us in a while for all the action from Visakhapatnam!

... Day 2, Session 1 ...

South Africa, on the other hand, need wickets and that too quickly if they are to make a comeback in this game. Their bowlers just did not look at their best on Day 1 and they need a better performance on Day 2. Will they fight back or will the Indians continue their dominance? Join us for Day 2. Till then, take care and goodbye!

Day 1 though was all about the Indians. Everything went right for them. They won the toss, elected to bat and their two openers are still unbeaten. One crossed his ton in his first game as an opener and the other is eyeing his first in Tests. The platform is laid for a huge first innings score and India will be exactly looking for that as they would be aiming to bat only once.

So the inevitable has happened! Play has been CALLED OFF for the day. That was always on the cards once they went off as it seemed improbable for the lights to improve and the rain worsened things further. A whole session is lost today so we probably will be covering up for it in the coming days.

Update 1455 local (0925 GMT) - No change in the update. It is pelting down and the covers are firmly placed. It is also very dark out there. Chances of any play today looks bleak.

We are back! The Indian openers are marking their guard once again as they will look to resume their innings. Vernon Philander is all set to continue his over. ALL THIS IS SOMETHING I WISH I COULD HAVE WRITTEN! Unfortunately, it is raining at the moment, actually, there is lightning out there. The whole ground is covered and we are in for a delay here.

... Day 1 Session 3 ...

The openers have taken India from strength to strength. The second session too belongs to India. Hitman, looks on course to be the solution to India's opening dilemma. It was a big call and Sharma's century further vindicates the team management's decision. Mayank Agarwal, with 84 has been the perfect foil to this 202-run stand. The Proteas' spinners toiled hard through the session but they haven't troubled the Indian openers enough. However, just as a few half-chances chances seem to be getting created, the umpires went off the field for bad light. Let's hope, the sun comes back out and we get some action quickly. However, it has started to rain now and the covers are being brought on.