In India's first innings, only Yashasvi Jaiswal (58 off 97 balls) and Washington Sundar (48 off 92 balls) could contribute substantially as the home team suffered a batting collapse after starting the day at 9 for no loss.
After taking a 288-run first innings lead, South Africa were 26 for no loss in their second essay at stumps on Day 3 of the second Test against India on Monday, to sit firmly in the driver's seat.
Openers Ryan Rickelton and Aiden Markram were batting on 13 and 12 respectively at the end of the day's play.
South Africa faced eight overs in the final session after dismissing India for 201 in 83.5 overs in their first innings.
Earlier, India were all out for 201 in their reply to South Africa's first innings 489.
Opener Yashasvi Jaiswal made 58 but it was otherwise a batting capitulation on a pitch offering little assistance to the bowlers.
For South Africa, who are 1-0 ahead in the two-Test series, Marco Jansen claimed 6-48.
Washington Sunder and Kuldeep Yadav gave a stubborn resistance after India were reduced to 122 for 7 in the second session, stitching a 72-run partnership for the eight wicket before the former was out for 48 off 92 balls.
South Africa then wrapped up the two remaining Indian wickets, bowling the home side out in 83.5 overs to take a massive first innings lead of 288 runs. Kuldeep was out for 19 off 134 balls after the Proteas took the new ball in the final session of the day.
For South Africa, Marco Jansen was the wrecker in chief with figures of 6/48 while Simon Harmer took three wickets for 64 runs.
Except for Yashasvi Jaiswal (58 off 97 balls) and Washington, no Indian batter could contribute substantially after starting the day at 9 for no loss.
At lunch, India were struggling at 174 for 7 in 67 overs.
Four Indian wickets tumbled in the opening session, reaching 102 for 4 at tea. Three more Indian batters fell in the second session.
Without the eighth-wicket stand between Washington and Kuldeep, India would have been in much deeper trouble.
KL Rahul (22), Sai Sudharsan (15), Dhruv Jurel (0), captain Rishabh Pant (7), Ravindra Jadeja (6) and Nitish Kumar Reddy (10) fell cheaply.
India lost three wickets in the second session to slump to 174-7 at lunch on day three of the second Test, with the hosts trailing by 315 runs and in danger of being asked to follow-on.
Washington Sundar (33) and Kuldeep Yadav (14) forged a 52-run partnership for the unbroken eighth wicket but India are still well short of South Africa's first innings total of 489.
After losing the opener of the two-Test series in Kolkata inside three days, India began cautiously on a wicket described as a "road" by spinner Kuldeep Yadav because of its lack of assistance for the bowlers.
KL Rahul (22) looked compact in his defence while his opening partner Yashasvi Jaiswal (58) was more fluent at the other end, often employing the sweep shot to counter the spinners.
Keshav Maharaj broke the 65-run opening stand an hour into play when Rahul lunged forward to defend a ball but was done for by the extra bounce. The ball hit the shoulder of his bat before nestling into Aiden Markram's hands at slip.
Jaiswal took two off Simon Harmer's bowling to bring up the first fifty by an India batter in the series but his knock did not last much longer.
The lefthander was surprised by the slowness of the track and spooned a Harmer delivery towards backward point where it would have landed short of most players but not the 2.06m tall Marco Jansen,who dived forward to pouch the ball.
Harmer claimed a second victim when Sai Sudharsan pulled the ball to Ryan Rickelton at mid-wicket.
Jansen (4-43) then took to India's middle order with a bouncer barrage that paid off handsomely on an otherwise docile track.
The left-arm quick dismissed Dhruv Jurel, Rishabh Pant, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Ravindra Jadeja to leave India reeling on 122-7. Jurel fell for an 11-ball duck, while Reddy departed when Markram took a stunning one-handed catch in the slip.
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