The first four hours and 41 minutes of Day Four at the ACA Stadium were a slow burn, South Africa assiduously if not carefully building on their numerical advantage. The meandering Tuesday sprang to life in the final 72 minutes as India, set an impossible 549 for a series-levelling victory, played themselves into a giant hole from which escape to safety is a prospect fraught with uncertainty.

Planned late declaration

South Africa knew what they were doing. They had their plans in place, among which was an assault on India’s batters through their pacers with a new ball late in the day, when the shadows lengthened and the ball for some reason does more in the loaming. That’s why they delayed their declaration, eventually pulling the plug at the fall of Tristan Stubbs for 94, with their total on 260 for five.