Johannesburg: India removed Alviro Petersen and a free-scoring Jacques Kallis before lunch to move closer to a resounding win over top-ranked South Africa in the first test at the Wanderers on Sunday.
South Africa was 236-4 at the end of the final day's first session and still way off the 458 it needs to win. South Africa must survive two sessions with six wickets in hand for a draw.
Mohammed Shami bowled Petersen for 76, with the opener failing to add to his overnight score. Kallis was out lbw for 34 to Zaheer Khan, giving the left-arm seamer his 300th test wicket.
India added those two breakthroughs to the wickets of captain Graeme Smith and Hashim Amla late on Saturday, and Khan became the fourth Indian bowler to take 300 test wickets.
Faf du Plessis was 42 not out as he continued his gritty innings from late on the fourth day, and was joined by AB de Villiers, who was 24 not out and playing his attacking shots like Kallis to collect three fours.
Yet South Africa still needs a hefty 222 runs to win.
Petersen couldn't get off the mark in the morning and played on to Shami when trying to force a drive through the off side. Kallis, off a first-ball duck in the first innings, attacked from the outset with an array of cover drives to the boundary after surviving a sharp early chance to short leg off the impressive Shami.
The allrounder hit six fours and shared a rapid half-century stand with Du Plessis before an umpiring mistake sent him back. He inside-edged the Khan delivery onto his pad but was still given out leg before by Australia's Rod Tucker.
With the wicket, Khan joined Anil Kumble, Kapil Dev and Harbhajan Singh in India's 300 club, with the veteran seamer returning from a yearlong absence from test cricket for the South Africa series. He took 4-88 in the first innings and has 1-61 so far in South Africa's second batting effort. He raised the ball toward India's dressing room to mark his achievement.
With No. 1-ranked South Africa facing another two sessions -- and a man down after an ankle injury to bowler Morne Morkel -- No. 2-ranked India is heavily favored to win the opening test and take a crucial lead in the short two-game series between test cricket's top teams.
