Jacques Kallis, playing in his final Test match, hit a solid half-century on the third day of the second and final Test against India at Kingsmead on Saturday.
South Africa were 4-267 at tea, 67 runs behind India’s first-innings total of 334.
Kallis (61 not out) and AB de Villiers (74) shared a fourth-wicket partnership of 127 after South Africa lost three wickets for ten runs to be wobbling at 3-113, with left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja taking two of the wickets.
Jadeja ended the stand when he had De Villiers caught at slip. At tea he had taken three for 77 in 32 overs, 27 of which were bowled on Saturday.
Kallis received a standing ovation from the crowd and a guard of honour from the Indian players when he walked out to bat after Graeme Smith and Hashim Amla had been dismissed for 47 and three respectively.
Before he faced a ball, Alviro Petersen was caught at slip for 62 off a ball from Jadeja which bounced more than Petersen expected.
De Villiers was the more assertive partner as he and Kallis set about restoring South Africa’s fortunes, continuing a rich vein of form which has taken him to the top of both the Test and one-day international batting rankings.
De Villiers reached his fifty off 87 balls and faced a total of 117 deliveries, hitting nine fours, before becoming Jadeja’s third victim.
Kallis was more cautious as he advanced to a half-century off 131 balls when he cut Jadeja for four shortly after De Villiers was dismissed.
It was the 103rd time in 166 Tests that Kallis had scored 50 or more, with 44 of those innings converted into centuries.
But it was first Test half-century in eight innings, going back to a match against Pakistan in Johannesburg in February.
Smith and Petersen took their opening partnership to 103 from the overnight total of 82 but were tied down by some accurate bowling, with Jadeja troubling both batsmen before Smith went down the wicket and mistimed an attempted hit over midwicket.
Shikhar Dhawan ran back and held a good, diving catch.
Hashim Amla was bowled by Mohammed Shami when an inswinging delivery straightened past his bat and hit the off stump.