Chennai, March 29:

South Africa dominated day four of the opening Test against India on Saturday as the match drifted toward a draw amid a series of batting records.

South Africa claimed nine wickets in the first two sessions to dismiss India for 627 and restrict the first-innings deficit to 87 runs. Then Neil McKenzie hit unbeaten 59 to steer the tourists to 131-1 in their second innings at stumps.

Resuming at Friday’s score of 468-1, Virender Sehwag and Rahul Dravid stretched their second-wicket partnership to 268 before Sehwag fell in the sixth over of the day.

Sehwag added only 10 runs to his overnight score before edging paceman Makhaya Ntini (3-128) into the hands of McKenzie at first slip. His innings included 43 fours and five sixes off 304 deliveries over nine hours. The early departure of Sehwag — who set the new highest score by an Indian of 319 — prompted an unraveling of India’s innings. Incoming batsman Sachin Tendulkar lasted only five balls before edging an Ntini delivery to Jacques Kallis at slip.

Dravid and Sourav Ganguly put on 45 runs for the fourth wicket to take India past 500 while Dravid passed 10,000 runs in Test cricket. He became just the sixth man to have reached five figures, along with fellow Indians Tendulkar and Sunil Gavaskar, Lara, and Australian pair Allan Border and Steve Waugh.

Ganguly was out caught behind off Paul Harris (3-203), with Dravid not out on 99 at lunch. He brought up his 25th century in 120 Tests. The tail fell away quickly, with Dale Steyn (4-103) taking four wickets in the space of 21 deliveries as the the hosts last five wickets fell for just 54 runs.

In South Africa’s second innings, Smith fell lbw to Harbhajan Singh for 35, but McKenzie and Hashim Amla (35 not out) added 78 runs in an unbroken second-wicket stand. McKenzie struck seven fours off 98 balls in his half century.