The right handed batsman took his time to see off the opening spell by South African seamers Kagiso Rabada and Vernon Philander and then stepped up the ante by scoring freely against the Proteas spin trio.
On course to his 4th Test match ton, the 'Hitman' equaled Rahul Dravid's herculean feat with the willow, by scoring his sixth consecutive 50-plus score on home soil. Rahul Dravid had registered 6 scores of 50 or more in Test cricket during the 1997-1998 season. Rohit became the fourth batsman in Test cricket after Everton Weekes, Andy Flower, and Rahul Dravid to achieve the feat in Home Tests.
Though it was Rohit's first hundred as an opener in Test cricket, it was his fourth overall in the longest format of the game and first since November 2016.
Rohit who has established himself as one of the best limited overs openers has not been a regular member in the Indian Test side for a while now and has been roped in as a replacement for KL Rahul in the ongoing series, which can prove to be a litmus test for him.
India are scheduled to play South Africa in 3-match Test series with the first Test underway from October 1 at Visakapatnam. India