WATCH: India’s star responds magnificently after Marco Jansen throws a mouthful during the first IND vs. SA Test

India was able to surpass 200 runs, in the final session on Day 1 in Centurion

In the second session of Day 1 at SuperSport Park, South African pacers, spurred on by Kagiso Rabada, wreaked havoc as they reduced India to seven down at the stroke of tea. They did this by rekindling their enthusiasm and adhering to a basic plan of attacking the off-stump line. In the end, though, India was able to surpass 200 runs in the penultimate session thanks to a heroic 70 from KL Rahul, before severe rain in Centurion forced an early end to play. Rahul, who bats at the back of India’s lineup and is playing at No. 6 for the first time in eight years, scored fifty runs in his first Test match in almost a year.

On his way to his knock, a moment from the opening day’s final session went viral on social media. The incident occurred in the 45th over of the first innings of the game. The South African fast bowler, Marco Jansen, lost his cool and threw a mouthful at the Indian batter after Rahul had hit him for multiple boundaries a few overs earlier and a six-over sweeper cover in the previous delivery alone.

Rahul pushed the fuller ball to short cover as Jansen returned to testing length and line after getting struck for a maximum. The India batter only smiled in response to the furious Jansen’s brief remarks, but there was no single taken.

India finished Day 1 at 208 for eight after Rabada took five wickets earlier in the day, including the dismissal of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. Debutant Nandre Burger also struck two wickets with the new ball. In his 2014 Australian debut, Rahul—who had only batted at No. 6 once in his career—but today returning to the same position the wicketkeeper-batter scored his 14th career fifty.