Following a dominant first-innings score of 497, India put South Africa under immediate pressure by removing openers Dean Elgar and Quinton de Kock in the opening two overs. This early blow contributed to South Africa being bowled out in their first innings. Looking ahead to Day 3, series debutant Hamza is set to bat alongside captain Faf du Plessis.
Despite the day ending early due to bad light, the match saw historic feats, most notably from Rohit Sharma. By scoring his first double century (212 runs with 28 fours and 6 sixes), Sharma raised his home Test average to 99.84, eclipsing Don Bradman's record of 98.22.
Rohit Sharma has also made history as only the fifth Indian opening batsman to cross the 500-run mark in a Test series, following in the footsteps of Kunderan, Sunil, Mankad, and Sehwag.
While the aggressive Virender Sehwag holds the unique record of hitting a six to reach both 100 and 300 runs in a single Test innings, Sharma has achieved a similar feat by hitting sixes to reach both his 100 and 200 marks.
Day 2 also featured a standout performance by Umesh, who seemed to honor Sehwag's birthday with a blistering display at the crease. Umesh now holds the record for the fastest 30+ runs in Test history, having smashed 31 runs off just 11 balls against South Africa back in 2004.