DURBAN: Jacques Kallis made a century in his final test to say farewell with a 45th career hundred in the long format and drive South Africa into a 61-run lead against India.

Kallis went to three figures with a nudge to mid-on on the fourth day of the second test and celebrated by removing his helmet and lifting both arms in the air as he faced the team dressing room. He was out for 115 to spinner Ravindra Jadeja, who had 5-128, before South Africa went to lunch on 395-7.

India made 334 in its first innings of the final test.

As Kallis walked off waving his bat to the crowd after what’s likely to be his last innings in test cricket, his South African teammates came out of the dressing room and down the stairs toward the field to hug him one by one. Captain Graeme Smith kissed the 38-year-old allrounder on the side of the head and then carried his teammate’s bat and gloves into the changing room.

Kallis’ century also took him past Rahul Dravid and up to third on the all-time test run-scorers list behind India’s Sachin Tendulkar and Australia’s Ricky Ponting. He needed exactly 115 in his 166th and last test before retiring to overtake Dravid.

Top-ranked South Africa took charge of the series-decider against No. 2 India with Kallis’ anchoring innings at the same ground in Durban where he made his debut as a 20-year-old prodigy in 1995. After South Africa slipped to 113-3 on the third day, the veteran had successive partnerships of 127 with AB de Villiers (74), 58 with JP Duminy and a stand of 86 with nightwatchman Dale Steyn, who made 44.

Straight after passing Dravid and going to 13,289 career test runs, Kallis attempted a big heave to the legside off slow left-armer Jadeja and top-edged to wicketkeeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

Kallis faced 316 balls and hit 13 fours in an innings that began early on Saturday morning.

Jadeja continued to be India’s main threat and had bowled a marathon 55 overs in South Africa’s first innings for his five-wicket haul by lunch.

Seamer Zaheer Khan had India’s other wicket on the fourth day when Steyn, trying to clatter an eighth boundary, edged behind to Dhoni.

India persisted with the old ball throughout the first session and turned down the chance to take the new one, which was available 60 overs ago.

With India’s seamers struggling to find any life in the Kingsmead pitch, Kallis and Steyn added 85 to South Africa’s overnight score of 299-5 before the veteran’s six-hour innings finally came to an end.

Kallis announced on Christmas Day that the match would be his final test, ending the career of South Africa’s most successful batsman ever and one of the game’s outstanding allrounders.

He said he would remain available for limited-overs internationals in an attempt at a final swansong at the 2015 World Cup.