India manage hard-fought lead

South Africa 373 (Smith 94, Amla 63, Kallis 54, Boucher 50) trail India 414 by 41 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

'The partnership between Kallis and Prince that consumed 38.1 overs could yet be the defining act of the match' © Getty Images

One side chipped away at history, another kept fighting with their backs to the wall and the series-deciding Test entered an engrossing phase on the third day at Newlands. Countering a distinctly sub-continental type wearing wicket, caught in a web of spin and swing, facing a daunting first-innings score South Africa refused to surrender and kept India's lead down to 41.

India were the dominant side for most of the day, what with the ball ripping across at unplayable angles and the fielders prowling close by. But two tenacious partnerships - one that ate up valuable time, the other that added crucial runs - thwarted them. Jacques Kallis, with good support from an unflappable Ashwell Prince, waded through the uncertainty before Mark Boucher led a lower-order charge that propelled them close to India's score.

It was day when revival followed trouble, when dismissals followed rescue acts. Graeme Smith and Hashim Amla glided through the early stages before falling in quick succession; Kallis and Prince pitched their tents for a little more than two-and-a-half hours until being undone by spin; Shaun Pollock and Boucher cobbled together a plucky stand of 69 prior to India breaking through. The pitch deteriorated through the day, the faster bowlers summoned swing, both conventional and reverse, the ball spun all day long - Sachin Tendulkar got it to dip, turn, soar, crackle and do everything other than sing Bollywood numbers - but South Africa simply didn't relent.

Barring the first ten overs, when Smith continued his aggressive methods from yesterday, South Africa weren't allowed to express themselves freely. Anil Kumble might not have been as devastating as he would have expected to be, toiling for 42.3 overs, but his persistence produced four wickets. Smith, six short of what would have been a cracking century, was undone by a sensational reflex catch from Virender Sehwag, Prince played on after being beaten by a faster legbreak, and the tail didn't have much of a chance against scything flippers.

The support cast were equally vital: Tendulkar produced a mesmerising spell of legspin that had the batsmen in all sorts of tangles, Sehwag taunted them with breaking it from the off, while Sreesanth removed Hashim Amla to snap up his 18th wicket in the series, equaling Javagal Srinath and Anil Kumble for the best performance by an Indian bowler in this country. But everytime India produced an opening, South Africa found batsmen to stem the leakage.

The partnership between Kallis and Prince that consumed 38.1 overs could yet be the defining act of the match. Neither was in complete control, yet both showed the gumption to hang in there. Kallis was lucky when on 6 - Wasim Jaffer missed a direct hit - and he was forced to grind his way against Munaf Patel, getting it to reverse from wide of the crease, and Kumble. Prince was his customary doughty self, decisive with his footwork and appeared more at sea against the faster bowlers angling it across.

Tendulkar, called on to bowl as late as the 87th over, produced the breakthrough, striking in his fourth over when Kallis risked a slog-sweep across the turn. Prince fell to Kumble in the very next over, Gibbs was soon undone by Sehwag and South Africa found themselves at a perilous 281 for 6. That's when Pollock and Boucher reversed the trend with a 69-run union, unsettling the bowlers with their attacking intent.

All three Indian fast bowlers appeared to have run out of steam at the end of the day - Munaf appeared to be struggling with his fitness and couldn't summon much speed - and the batsmen were quick to cash in. The new ball was taken as late as the 116th over and the bowlers ended up spraying it around, giving away important runs. Zaheer and Munaf were gifted with a wicket apiece, with both batsmen trying to glide the ball to third man and edging, and India managed to eke out a slender lead in the end. It left the game superbly poised, with the series wide open for the final two days.

Short cuts
Dileep Premachandran in Cape Town

Highlight of the day: When Jacques Kallis thumped a Sachin Tendulkar delivery in the direction of deep midwicket, Indian hearts would have been right up the oesophagus. The ball headed unerringly towards Munaf Patel, perhaps the worst fielder in international cricket. Along with jubilation as he held on to the chance, there would have been more than one sigh of relief.

Lowlight of the day: India's ground fielding was just abysmal, with Swan Lake dives and shoddy collection adding plenty of runs to South Africa's total. Munaf, with his unathletic awkward gait and his excuse for the throw wasn't the lone offender, with Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly also having moments that they would rather wish away.

Shot of the day: Graeme Smith looked on course for a rollicking century until Anil Kumble had his say, but before that, he unleashed two spanking on-drives when Zaheer Khan overpitched. It was hard to choose between the two strokes, both of which scorched the turf on the way to the rope.

Ball of the day: Along with Kallis, Ashwell Prince was the man best equipped to bat time and keep India at bay. But the game changed when Dravid brought Kumble on from the Wynberg end. The last ball of the second over pitched in the footmarks and spun in to take the inside edge on to the stumps. Suddenly 260 for 3 had become 260 for 5, and India were right back on top.

Catch of the day: He may not cut the most svelte figure on the field, but Virender Sehwag has a knack of picking up stunning catches, and he showed that today with a sprightly leap to his right at silly mid-on to snaffle Smith.

Message of the day: A little fellow just behind the fence after the day's play had ended gave Smith his opinion with a confidence that only an eight-year-old would possess. While waiting patiently for his miniature bat to be autographed, he piped up: "I liked the way you batted today, Graeme." Smith looked up, took stock, laughed and carried on signing.

Off the park: Allan Donald devastated more than a few touring sides during his time as South Africa's premier fast bowler, and the pitch prepared for this game took his breath away. "I've never seen anything like it in South Africa," he said, shaking his head ruefully as the groundstaff swept away huge puffs of dust during the tea interval.