Visakhapatnam: Rohit Sharma is the master of timing in more ways than one. He heralded his Test debut with a spectacular 177 against West Indies in November 2013. Then, on return after 13 months through injury-driven wilderness, he slammed an unbeaten 102 v Sri Lanka in November 2017.

Yesterday, at the ACA-VDCA, he took to the responsibility of opening the batting in Test cricket like to the manor born, unleashing a mellifluous unbeaten 115 against a South African attack blunted by the benign nature of the surface and the unforgiving willows of Rohit and Mayank Agarwal (84*). In the 59.1 overs of play before thunder and rain forced an early closure, India had raced away to 202 without loss.