(Reuters) -Senuran Muthusamy struck his first test hundred to power South Africa to a commanding 428 for seven at lunch on day two of the second and final test against India in Guwahati on Sunday.
The spin-bowling all-rounder forged a 94-run stand for the unbroken eighth wicket with Marco Jansen, who was batting on 51 at the break. Muthusamy’s 107 not out included 10 fours and two sixes.
South Africa are 1-0 ahead in the two-test series.
India’s spin-heavy attack had been forced to work hard to remove the top of the South African batting line-up on a slow-moving opening day in the first ever test at Guwahati’s Barsapara Cricket Stadium.
They might have expected life to be easier against the lower middle order but that was not to be the case as Muthusamy played with the confidence of a frontline batter and Kyle Verreynne (45) overcame early jitters in a wicketless first session for the Indian bowlers.
The closest India came to break the stand was when Muthusamy, then on 48, was given lbw to spinner Ravindra Jadeja after attempting a sweep shot.
The batter immediately reviewed the decision, which was overturned after replays suggested the ball had faintly touched the glove before hitting the pad.
Muthusamy went on to bring up his third test fifty with a single off Jadeja, who removed Verreynne stumped after beating the advancing batter with a faster, wider delivery.
Left-hander Muthusamy took a single off Mohammed Siraj to bring up his hundred, the number seven batter removing his helmet and holding his bat aloft to soak in the applause from the stands.
Jansen hit four sixes en route to his fifty.
(Reporting by Amlan Chakraborty in New Delhi; editing by Peter Rutherford)
