PORT ELIZABETH (South Africa), Nov 20: Deep Dasgupta and Rahul Dravid earned a draw for India when they shared a record 171-run second wicket stand on the fifth and final day of the second Test against South Africa at St George’s Park Tuesday.

India, set to make an improbable 395 to win, were 206 for three when bad light stopped play with 10.4 overs due to be bowled. An earlier 75-minute break for bad light and rain had cut a further 19 overs of play.

The result meant that the teams go into the third and final Test at Centurion starting Friday with the series undecided. South Africa won the first Test in Bloemfontein by nine wickets.

India will go into the final match without Virender Sehwag, who made a century on his Test debut in Bloemfontein.

Sehwag, one of six players controversially disciplined by match referee Mike Denness, was suspended for one match for excessive appealing, intimidating an umpire and using abusive language during Sunday’s play.

But Dravid and Dasgupta produced an outstanding batting performance to bolster Indian pride.

Dasgupta made 63, while Dravid made 87 before he was caught behind off Mornantau Hayward in the fifth over with the second new ball.

By that stage the light was poor and at the end of the over the umpires offered the batsmen the chance to go off. Rain started falling soon afterwards but it cleared and a further 11.2 overs were bowled during which Dasgupta was caught at second slip off Hayward.

Dasgupta and Dravid batted for more than five hours. The pair played solidly but cautiously as they scored at barely two runs an over, with victory clearly not a realistic option.

South Africa had high hopes of clinching the three-match series when play started under sunny skies despite a weather forecast that there was an 80 percent chance of rain showers.

But the South African bowlers were unable to make any impression on two determined batsmen with the pitch not offering the bowlers any unusual assistance.

Because of time lost to rain and bad light earlier in the match, a theoretical minimum of 105 overs was available to the South African bowlers.

Dravid, playing in his 50th Test, had made only 15 runs in his first three innings of the series, but he played an innings more in keeping with a man who has a career Test batting average above 50. He made his 87 in 312 minutes, facing 241 balls and hitting 12 fours.

Despite doubts about the potency of South Africa’s bowling, which has relied almost entirely on Pollock, the selectors announced an unchanged squad for the final Test.

Pollock took 16 of the 33 wickets claimed by South Africa in the first two Tests.