Ashwell Prince hit an unbeaten half-century to keep alive South Africa's hopes of clinching an improbable victory in the first Test against India.
Chasing 402 - the highest target ever set in Johannesburg - the Proteas ended day three on 163 for five, with much responsibility now resting on Prince's shoulders.
The only real support he received was from Jacques Kallis, who made 27 before falling victim to the late swing of Shanthakumaran Sreesanth, the all-rounder going for the drive but only succeeding in edging to Sourav Ganguly at third slip.
The hosts made the worst possible start to their run-chase, when Herschelle Gibbs collected his second duck of the match, edging to Sachin Tendulkar at first slip off the bowling of Zaheer Khan to leave the hosts nought for one at lunch.
Captain Graeme Smith did not fare much better, scoring 10 runs before edging a short ball from Sreesanth to cover, where Virender Sehwag took a stunning catch.
Sreesanth then got late movement on a beautiful ball that pitched on middle and off to induce an edge to wicketkeeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni from Hashim Amla, who had made 17.
AB De Villers also added 17 before being run out by a direct hit from Zaheer to leave the Proteas on 120 for five.
Mark Boucher then joined Prince at the crease and struck an unbeaten 23 from 33 balls as the pair took their side to 163 for the loss of no further wickets by close of play.
Earlier, India, resuming on 146 for five, put on another 90 runs to add to the 249 they scored in the first innings.
Even before seeing off the South Africans' top order in the second innings, they held the whip hand in the match because of their first-innings bowling display, skittling out their opponents for just 84 - their lowest score since their re-admission to the international arena in 1991.
Dhoni only managed to add one run to his overnight total of 17 when he edged Shaun Pollock to wicketkeeper Boucher.
Anil Kumble went for just one, a poorly executed drive caught by Prince at gully off the bowling of Andre Nel to leave India at 148 for seven.
VVS Laxman converted his overnight score of 42 into his 26th Test half-century to end up comfortably his side's top scorer with 73 when Makhaya Ntini's swinging delivery found an edge to Smith at slip.
One run later and Ntini had taken his second wicket of the innings, getting rid of Zaheer with a good ball that he edged to Boucher.
Vikram Singh was run out to close the innings at 236 to leave Ntini, Nel and Pollock, who on day two dismissed Rahul Dravid to claim his 400th Test scalp, with three wickets apiece.
