South Africa were on course for a comfortable series-clinching victory over India at tea on the fifth day as they need 39 more runs to wrap up the second and final cricket Test here today.
Chasing 58 for a win, South Africa were placed at 19 for no loss in their second innings at the tea-break after India were bowled out for 223 runs in their second innings on a bright and sunny final day of the tour.
Openers Graeme Smith (5 batting) and Alviro Petersen (14 batting) were the unbeaten batsmen.
This was after Dale Steyn (3/47) and Robin Peterson (4/74) shared six wickets between them to leave the Proteas needing only 58 runs for victory in Jacque Kallis' farewell Test at the Kingsmead.
Ajinkya Rahane played a fine rearguard innings scoring 96 runs off 157 balls (11 fours, two sixes), a lone hand with none of the frontline batsmen making an important contribution in order to save the match.
After Steyn and Peterson did the early damage, Vernon Philander (3/43) chipped in and Morne Morkel (0/34) provided able support as the Indians lost five wickets for 105 runs in the morning session.
Starting at 173 for 7 after lunch, all that was left for Rahane and Zaheer Khan to do was delay the inevitable as long as possible. And they did it for nearly 10 overs, as Rahane started farming the strike.
With the Proteas pacers unable to get the breakthrough and the second new ball fast approaching, Peterson was brought on in the 76th over and the move paid off two overs later, with Zaheer being trapped LBW. He scored three runs, but faced 41 balls, and put up 35 runs with Rahane.
Rahane then brought out his shots in order to get to his maiden Test hundred, as he raced to the 90s. At the other end, Steyn got Ishant Sharma (1) in the 85th over and celebrated his 350th Test wicket with vigour. And in the very next over, Rahane was bowled by Philander, a huge swipe gunning for glory missing and the stumps shattered.
