Johannesburg: Riding on centuries from Faf du Plessis (134) and AB de Villiers (103), South Africa nearly pulled off a record win but fell just eight runs short of the the stiff target of 458, as the first Test between India and South Africa ended in a nail-biting draw here on Sunday.
In a thrilling match, fortunes fluctuated from one team to the other till the very end, with both teams having the chances of winning the game in the nerve-wrecking final session on a Wanderers track.
India needed to take eight wickets on Sunday but a fantastic 205-run partnership between Du Plessis and De Villiers helped the hosts draw the first Test of the two-Test series.
The highest successful run chase in Test cricket has been achieved by West Indies who scored 418 for seven to beat Australia in St Johns in 2003.
At one stage, it looked like the Proteas would achieve the target with ease as they needed just 64 runs from the final 16 overs with six wickets in hand but Ishant Sharma bowled De Villiers and Mohamed Shami dismissed JP Duminy before Du Plessis' run out in 133rd over by a direct throw from Ajinkya Rahane. The fall of wickets towards the end managed to put a brake on South Africa's chase.
The two teams will now travel to Durban, where the second and final Test will begin from Thursday.
