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India face uphill task to save 1st Test
Jacques Kallis scored his first Test double hundred and AB de Villers scored South Africa's fastest Test century as the Proteas built a match-winning lead on day three of the first Test against India in Centurion, on Saturday.
Kallis hit 201 not out and de Villiers contributed 129 as the hosts declared their first innings on 620 for four at Centurion, a lead of 484 runs.
At stumps on the third day, India were 190 for two in 44.1 overs in their second innings, still trailing South Africa by 294 runs.
Photographs: Reuters
Amla, Kallis and De Villiers blast propels SA
South Africa had earlier resumed their first innings on 366 for two. Amla, Kallis and De Villiers launched an assault on the lacklustre Indian bowlers, lashing 225 runs in 36 overs in the morning session.
India's only success came when Amla, who had cruised to 140, edged a terrible delivery, way down the leg-side, from Ishant to Dhoni.
It was Amla's fourth successive century against India, following on from his tour there in February, where he scored 253 not out in Nagpur and 114 and 123 not out in Kolkata. It equals the world record shared by South African Alan Melville against England (1938/39-1947), West Indian Everton Weekes versus India (1948/49) and Pakistan's Shoaib Mohammed against New Zealand (1984/85-1990/91).
Amla and Kallis's partnership of 230 in 238 minutes was their fifth double-century stand in Tests, just one behind the world record set by Australians Matthew Hayden and Justin Langer.
Kallis and De Villiers added 224 off 226 balls.
De Villiers slams SA's fastest Test century
AB de Villiers seemed in a rush and started attacking from the moment he arrived at the crease. He got going by driving Ishant down the ground for a stylish boundary to take South Africa past the 400-run mark, in the 95th over. The right-hander then slammed Ishant for back to boundaries a few overs later.
He had plundered his 12th Test century off just 75 deliveries as South Africa reached lunch on 591 for three.
The 26-year-old de Villiers, who scored a national record 278 not out in his previous match against Pakistan last month, smashed the previous record for a hundred, of 95 deliveries, shared by Denis Lindsay (v Australia, 1966/67), Jonty Rhodes (v West Indies, 1998/99) and Shaun Pollock (v Sri Lanka, 2000/01).
Kallis hits maiden double century
Kallis finally put to rest his quest for a maiden Test double ton, reaching the landmark in the over before the declaration when he glanced Jaidev Unadkat for four.
It was his 15th boundary, to add to five sixes. Kallis batted for six-and-a-half hours and faced 267 balls.
The 35-year-old, who now has 11,650 runs in 242 Test innings, had been the only one of the top 15 runscorers in Test history not to have scored a double century.
Harris claims vital wicket of Sehwag
Despite India facing a huge deficit, Virender Sehwag continued with his trademark attacking approach. He played and missed a few times before cutting Morne Morkel over the point fielder for his second four followed by another one in the pacer's next over.
The opener took the attack to pacer Lonwabo Tsotsobe in his very first over when he pulled him for a six over midwicket followed by a four through point.
Just 14 runs came in nine overs without a single boundary before Sehwag decided it was time to break the shackles.
Sehwag danced down the wicket and tried to play the inside out shot against Harris over the covers but ended holing a simple catch to Smith on the off-side to become the left-arm spinner's 100th Test wicket. Sehwag had helped India make a strong reply as he stroked 63 from 79 balls, with the help of nine fours and a six, adding 137 runs in 177 runs for the opening wicket with Gambhir.
Steyn scalps Gambhir to peg India's progress
Gambhir came out in a positive frame of mind after the tea break.
He moved across his stumps and flicked Kallis through the midwicket region for a four to bring up his half-century from 61 balls. In the same over, the left-hander hit Kallis through the square leg for another four as India raced to 122 for no loss in 20 overs.
Just when it looked India were looking comfortable and settled, Dale Steyn provided the crucial breakthrough for the hosts. He trapped Gambhir leg before wicket with an incoming delivery that came in sharply and stayed a bit low. The left-hander was dismissed after a fluent innings of 80, having hit 10 fours in his 124-ball knock.
At close, India were 190 for two in 44.1 overs, still trailing the hosts by 294 runs with eight wickets in hands and two more days to go.