South Africa posted 38/1 to trail India by 296 runs at tea on the second day of the fourth and final cricket Test at the Ferozeshah Kotla here on Friday.
Opener Trevor Bavuma (20) and South African skipper Hashim Amla (1) were in the middle at tea after Dean Elgar (17) was sent back to the pavilion by Umesh Yadav.
Earlier, the visitors rode on superb bowling from leg-spinner Imran Tahir and pacer Kyle Abbott to end India's first innings at 334 just after the lunch break.
Tahir claimed the vital wicket of Ajinkya Rahane in the morning session for figures of 1/66 while Abbott sent back Ravichandran Ashwin and Ishant Sahrma off successive deliveries to return 4/117.
Off-spinner Dane Piedt (5/40) did not manage to add to his tally of wickets on Friday.
The visitors endured a difficult start as Indian pacers Yadav and Ishant Sharma bowled with pace and aggression. The occasional delivery was keeping low, which complicated matters for the batsmen.
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Bavuma and Elgar survived several close calls before the latter edged Yadav to wicketkeeper Wriddhhiman Saha.
That saw Amla join Bavuma in the middle and the duo ensured that the visitors did not lose any more wickets till lunch.
Resuming the day at 231/7, India rode on some excellent batting from Ajinkya Rahane and Ravichandran Ashwin to fight their way to a strong position.
Rahane scored 127 runs with 11 hits to the fence and four sixes to his name. He completed a well-deserved fifth Test century in style, smashing a powerful straight drive past pacer Abbott for a boundary.
Ashwin also batted well, bringing up his half-century with a six over long on off Tahir. Ashwin and Rahane added 98 runs between them, the highest partnership of the series so far, to help the hosts reach 326/8 at lunch.
Ashwin got a reprieve when on 14 as he edged Abbott to the slips where Amla dropped a difficult chance. He was unbeaten on 53 runs when the teams went in for lunch.
Tahir brought Rahane's innings to end when the Mumbai batsman's drive off a flighted delivery was snapped up by AB de Villiers at covers.
Umesh Yadav was giving Ashwin company at the break.
Tahir was the most successful among the Proteas bowlers in the morning session with figures of 1/59.
South African pacers Morne Morkel (0/58) and Abbott (3/39) also bowled well, although they did not manage to bag a wicket in the pre-lunch session.
Resuming at the overnight score of 231/7, Rahane and Ashwin were off to a cautious start as they sought to salvage the situation.
Morkel and Abbott bowled well to keep the Indian batsmen on a tight leash in the initial overs.
With the South African pacers making the ball swing and also finding some lateral movement off the deck, Rahane and Ashwin batted well within themselves, punishing the occasional loose delivery.
The duo upped the scoring rate when spinners Dane Piedt and Dean Elgar came on to bowl.
Rahane punished Piedt in his first over of the day, smashing him for a boundary before dancing down the track to hit a six over long on in the very next ball.
After Tahir sent Rahane back to the pavilion, Ashwin took over the mantle, coming up with some excellent strokeplay to notch up a tally of six boundaries and a six as India clawed their way back into the game.