CAPE TOWN, Nov 26: Justin Kemp's defiant maiden century and Shaun Pollock's four wickets spurred South Africa to a 106-run victory in the third One-day International against India on Sunday.

South Africa now have an unbeatable 2-0 lead in the five-match series. The first game was washed out and South Africa won the second last Wednesday by a massive 157 runs.

Kemp's 100 not out was the top score as South Africa rallied from 76 for six to a total of 274 for seven. Pollock took four for 26 to help dismiss India for 168 in 41.3 overs.

South Africa's recovery began with a stand of 60 for the seventh wicket between Kemp and Pollock.

The 138 runs that Kemp and Andrew Hall, who scored 56, shared in an unbroken stand was a world record for the eighth wicket in one-dayers. The runs flowed at a rate of 9.74 an over.

The previous record was the 119 runs that Shane Warne and Paul Reiffel put on for Australia against South Africa in Port Elizabeth in 1993-94.

India never recovered from a poor start, losing their first wicket before they had scored a run when Virender Sehwag attempted to cut Pollock's fourth ball of the innings and sent a top edge looping to third man.

Pollock struck again in the fifth over when Sachin Tendulkar pulled at a short delivery and was comfortably caught by Loots Bosman at square leg for two.

India were reduced to 17 for three in the ninth over when Pollock bowled Mohammad Kaif off the edge of his bat for 10, and the visitors were 44 for four when Dinesh Karthik edged Makhaya Ntini to Graeme Smith at second slip to go for 14.

Captain Rahul Dravid's 63, which he scored off 103 balls with four fours and a six, was the best of India's batting.

Scoreboard

SOUTH AFRICA:

G.C. Smith b Zaheer 0

L.L. Bosman c Tendulkar b Zaheer 6

J.H. Kallis c Tendulkar b Zaheer 0

H.H. Gibbs c Kaif b Pathan 35

A.B. de Villiers c Dhoni b Agarkar 29

M.V. Boucher run out 4

J.M. Kemp not out 100

S.M. Pollock run out 33

A.J. Hall not out 56

EXTRAS (LB-1, W-8, NB-2) 11

TOTAL (for seven wkts, 50 overs) 274

FALL OF WKTS: 1-0, 2-0, 3-38, 4-42, 5-71, 6-76, 7-136

DID NOT BAT: C.K. Langeveldt, M. Ntini.

BOWLING: Zaheer Khan 10-4-42-3 (2w); Agarkar 9-0-71-1 (1w); Irfan Pathan 8-1-60-1 (1nb, 1w); Kumble 10-1-24-0 (2w); Harbhajan Singh 10-0-63-0 (1nb, 1w); Tendulkar 3-0-13-0 (1w).

INDIA:

V. Sehwag c Hall b Pollock 0

S.R. Tendulkar c Bosman b Pollock 2

R. Dravid c Hall b Pollock 63

Mohammad Kaif b Pollock 10

K.D. Karthik c Smith b Ntini 14

M.S. Dhoni c Bosman b Kallis 55

Irfan Pathan c Smith b Kallis 1

Harbhajan Singh c Smith b Hall 10

A.B. Agarkar c Smith b Hall 6

Zaheer Khan not out 2

A. Kumble b Hall 0

EXTRAS (LB-1, W-4) 5

TOTAL (all out, 41.3 overs) 168

FALL OF WKTS: 1-0, 2-7, 3-17, 4-44, 5-129, 6-133, 7-148, 8-156, 9-168.

BOWLING: Pollock 9-1-26-4; Ntini 7-2-13-1; Hall 9.3-0-45-3 (2w); Langeveldt 5-0-31-0; Kallis 8-0-29-2 (2w); Kemp 1-0-13-0; Smith 2-0-10-0.

RESULT: South Africa won by 106 runs.

UMPIRES: B.G. Jerling (South Africa) and B.R. Doctrove (West Indies).

TV UMPIRE: M. Erasmus (South Africa).

MATCH REFEREE: B.C. Broad (England).

MAN-OF-THE-MATCH: Justin Kemp.

FOURTH MATCH: Nov 29, Port Elizabeth;

FIFTH MATCH: Dec 3, Centurion.—Agencies