Visakhapatnam: Dean Elgar and Quinton de Kock struck centuries to help South Africa avoid the threat of a follow-on and reach 385-8 at stumps on Day 3 of the first test against India on Friday.
Spinner Ravichandran Ashwin took his 27th five-wicket haul in tests to keep India in control of the series opener, however, with South Africa still trailing by 117 runs.
After the Proteas resumed in some trouble on 39-3, Elgar scored 160 off 287 balls for the opener's 12th test hundred before De Kock attacked India's spinner to make 111 off 163 deliveries.
They put on 164 runs for the sixth wicket, allowing South Africa to ease past the follow-on mark.
At stumps, Senuran Muthusamy (12 not out) and Keshav Maharaj (3 not out) were in the middle.
Responding to India's first innings of 502-7 declared, South Africa _ which, at one stage, was reeling on 34-3 _ dominated the third day of the test and lost only two wickets in the first two sessions.
Ishant Sharma trapped Temba Bavuma (18) lbw before lunch, while Faf du Plessis fell for 55 in the afternoon to end a partnership of 115 runs with Elgar that resurrected the Proteas' innings.
That brought Elgar and De Kock together, the latter taking charge of the innings with a counterattacking knock to reach his fifth test century off 149 deliveries.
The breakthrough finally came in the 100th over when Elgar holed out to deep mid-wicket off Ravindra Jadeja (2-116).
De Kock helped South Africa cross 350 in the next over but fell to Ashwin, pushing the ball onto the stumps off his pads.
Ashwin made it a quick double blow as he bowled Vernon Philander for a 10-ball duck, and had figures of 5-128 from 41 overs.
India's big first-innings score was established on an opening stand of 317 runs between Mayank Agarwal (215) and Rohit Sharma (176).
Mayank Agarwal c Dane Piedt b Dean Elgar 215
Rohit Sharma st Quinton de Kock b Keshav Maharaj 176
Cheteshwar Pujara b Vernon Philander 6
Virat Kohli c&b Senuran Muthusamy 20
Ajinkya Rahane c Temba Bavuma b Keshav Maharaj 15
Ravindra Jadeja Not Out 30
Hanuma Vihari c Dean Elgar b Keshav Maharaj 10
Wriddhiman Saha c Senuran Muthusamy b Dane Piedt 21
Ravichandran Ashwin Not Out 1
Extras 4b 1lb 2nb 0pen 1w 8
Total (136.0 overs): 502/7 decl
Fall of Wickets: 1-317 Sharma, 2-324 Pujara, 3-377 Kohli, 4-431 Rahane, 5-436 Agarwal, 6-457 Vihari, 7-494 Saha Did Not Bat : Sharma, Shami
Bowling: Ov Md Rn Wk Econ Ex
Vernon Philander 22 4 68 1 3.09
Kagiso Rabada 24 7 66 0 2.75
Keshav Maharaj 55 6 189 3 3.44 1nb
Dane Piedt 19 1 107 1 5.63
Senuran Muthusamy 15 1 63 1 4.20 1w 1nb
Dean Elgar 1 0 4 1 4.00
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South Africa 1st innings
Dean Elgar c Cheteshwar Pujara b Ravindra Jadeja 160
Aiden Markram b Ravichandran Ashwin 5
Theunis de Bruyn c Wriddhiman Saha b Ravichandran Ashwin 4
Dane Piedt b Ravindra Jadeja 0
Temba Bavuma lbw Ishant Sharma 18
Faf du Plessis c Cheteshwar Pujara b Ravichandran Ashwin 55
Quinton de Kock b Ravichandran Ashwin 111
Senuran Muthusamy Not Out 12
Vernon Philander b Ravichandran Ashwin 0
Keshav Maharaj Not Out 3
Extras 8b 4lb 5nb 0pen 0w 17
Total (118.0 overs): 385-8
Fall of Wickets: 1-14 Markram, 2-31 de Bruyn, 3-34 Piedt, 4-63 Bavuma, 5-178 du Plessis, 6-342 Elgar, 7-370 de Kock, 8-376 Philander To Bat : Rabada
Bowling: Ov Md Rn Wk Econ Ex
Ishant Sharma 14 2 44 1 3.14 1nb
Mohammed Shami 15 3 40 0 2.67 1nb
Ravichandran Ashwin 41 11 128 5 3.12
Ravindra Jadeja 37 4 116 2 3.14 1nb
Hanuma Vihari 9 1 38 0 4.22 2nb
Rohit Sharma 2 1 7 0 3.50
