Sachin Tendulkar notches half century of Test centuries

The 37-year-old achieved the feat, and also passed 14,500 Test runs, as India battled to make South Africa bat again in the first Test in Centurion yesterday.

Tendulkar moved to 95 by driving Paul Harris for six, then edged towards 100, ultimately reaching the milestone in his 175th Test with a single off Dale Steyn.

It was the second notable feat achieved by an Indian batsman yesterday after Rahul Dravid became the third man, after Tendulkar and Ricky Ponting, to reach 12,000 runs in Test cricket.

But despite their heroics, India still finished day four on the brink of defeat. Needing 484 to make the Proteas bat again, India were 454 for eight when a storm ended play in the final over.

That they batted out the day was thanks to a partnership of 172 between Tendulkar and Mahendra Singh Dhoni (90) after India had slipped from 190 for two to 277 for six in the morning session.

The only highlight of the opening session for India came when Dravid reached his milestone in typically unspectacular fashion with a single off Harris in the 64th over.

By that time, though, nightwatchman Ishant Sharma had already fallen. He ate up the best part of ten overs in the morning before clipping Steyn to Hashim Amla at short leg for 23.

Dravid and Tendulkar then continued to frustrate the Proteas, but when Dravid was caught behind off Morne Morkel for 43, he became the first of three to fall for 35 runs.

VVS Laxman played an injudicious shot off Lonwabo Tsotsobe, edging to gully, before Suresh Raina offered catching practice to Harris at first slip. But captain Dhoni launched an astonishing counter-attack after lunch with a flurry of strokes which made the pitch look as placid as it had when South Africa piled up 620 for four in their innings.

Tendulkar reached 50 by smashing Steyn through midwicket, but Dhoni was dominating proceedings, with three successive boundaries off Kallis and a single off Morkel taking him to his own half-century off just 40 balls.

After tea, Tendulkar rushed into the 90s before displaying understandable signs of nerves. But he moved to 99 with two off an inside edge, then forced the next ball into the covers for the single he needed before raising his arms in the air to accept the congratulations of the crowd and the opposition.

That joy was curtailed for India though as Steyn produced a spiteful, lifting delivery to have Dhoni caught behind to end an exceptional partnership.

Harbhajan Singh edged Harris to Kallis at slip in the next over, before the weather closed in to push the match into a fifth day.