India spun a web of problems for South Africa on the third day of the third and final Castle Lager Test at Newlands on Thursday, and were firmly on top at close of play, with South Africa all out for 373 — trailing India by 41 runs.
It was honours even in the first session, with Graeme Smith and Hashim Amla continuing the partnership they began on Wednesday.
Runs flowed freely in the first half hour, but with his 12th Test century in sight, Smith fell into a trap set by Indian captain Rahul Dravid and his veteran spin bowler Anil Kumble, and was caught at silly point by Virender Sehwag for 94.
The groan from the crowd of 10 000 indicated that they were as disappointed as the captain that he had not reached the century he deserved.
During the three-and-a-half hours he was at the crease, he grew in confidence and was playing the kind of shots not seen for some time. He and Amla put on 159 runs for the second wicket, but Amla followed his captain less than three overs later, when he was bowled by Sreesanth for 63.
The run rate dropped dramatically with Jacques Kallis and Ashwell Prince at the crease, but they ground out a workmanlike partnership of 83 before Kallis was caught close to the boundary by Munaf Patel off Sachin Tendulkar for 54 — his 41st Test 50.
Prince went in the next over, bowled by Kumble for 26, and Herschelle Gibbs (7) was caught by Wasim Jaffer off Sehwag not long afterwards.
Dravid used his spin bowlers to good effect, and delayed taking the second new ball for 35 overs.
But while the afternoon session belonged to India, South Africa fought back after tea. Veterans Shaun Pollock and Mark Boucher, with 202 Tests behind them, showed their experience and did what they could to keep the runs coming, and their 50 partnership came up in just under an hour.
The partnership ended when Pollock was caught at first slip by Sourav Ganguly off Zaheer Khan for 31.
Debutant Paul Harris smashed a four to record his first runs in Test cricket, and showed that his time with Warwickshire had been well spent.
He and Boucher put on 22 runs before Boucher was caught behind by Dinesh Karthik off Patel three balls after he had reached his 25th Test 50. Kumble mopped up the tail, dismissing Dale Steyn and Makhaya Ntini with successive balls. Harris ended not out on 11, including two boundaries.
South Africa will have their work cut out on Friday to keep India in check and to retain a faint hope of preventing the visitors from recording their first series win in South Africa. — Sapa