Jacques Rudolph has shown tremendous potential on tour

South Africa offered evidence of a stern challenge to England in the forthcoming Test series with an excellent batting display.

Skipper Graeme Smith, Herschelle Gibbs, Gary Kirsten and Jacques Rudolph all made half centuries to carry them into the lead.

But there may be slight concern that none of them was able to carry it through and reach three figures.

They reached 341-3 but two wickets in four balls from paceman Aavishkar Salvi shortly before the close lifted the spirits of the Indian team.

Gibbs hit two sixes and nine fours in a timely return to form as he and Smith launched the innings with a stand of 150.

Both sixes came in the space of three balls before lunch, with left-arm spinner Murali Kartik on the receiving end of two towering blows over mid-on and mid-off.

He gained his revenge, however, when Gibbs edged a catch to wicket-keeper Parthiv Patel which brought his two and three quarter hour innings to an end.

Herschelle Gibbs reaction

India achieved a second breakthrough when seamer Irfan Pathan trapped Smith lbw, also for 79.

His dismissal brought Gary Kirsten and Jacques Rudolph together and they both timed the ball well in adding 171 for the third wicket.

From 212-2 at tea, they took the score to 335 before Kirsten was run out for 75, sparking a mini-collapse.

Rudolph followed after hitting 12 boundaries when he was caught behind for 83 off Salvi, who clean bowled Mark Boucher for nought to round off the day.

South Africa: H H Gibbs (Capt), G C Smith, G Kirsten, J A Rudolph, H H Dippenaar, M V Boucher (Wkt), S M Pollock, D Pretorius, R J Peterson, M Ntini, M Zondeki.

India A: S S Das (Capt), G Gambhir, W Jaffer, H K Badani, A T Rayudu, P A Patel (Wkt), A Mishra, M Kartik, I K Pathan, A Bhandari, A M Salvi.