CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — Harbhajan Singh took two wickets in the final three overs yesterday to give India the edge over South Africa as the top two Test teams set up a dramatic end to their series.

Off-spinner Harbhajan had Graeme Smith (29) and nightwatchman Paul Harris (0) both out lbw in the dying minutes of day three of the deciding third Test at Newlands as South Africa reached 52-2 at the close in their second innings for a lead of 50.

Smith and fellow opener Alviro Petersen had guided the Proteas to 50-0 before Harbhajan’s crucial late strikes boosted top-ranked India’s search for their first-ever Test series win in South Africa.

The three-match contest is tied at 1-1 and set for a tense conclusion.

Petersen is not out on 22 and Hashim Amla yet to get off the mark, with two days left for the series — which began on December 16 — to be decided and both teams eyeing victory.

Harbhajan described yesterday as a “great day for Test cricket” as the world’s leading five-day teams were almost exactly matched after the first innings in Cape Town — and India batsman Sachin Tendulkar and South Africa fast bowler Dale Steyn produced standout performances as the momentum again swung back and forth.

Tendulkar’s masterly 146 — his 51st Test century — inspired India to 364 all out in their first innings soon after tea for a slender two-run first-innings lead.

The batting great stroked 17 fours and two sixes, and shared a 176-run partnership with Gautam Gambhir (93) and then a 76-run stand with Harbhajan (40) to hold off some inspired fast bowling from Steyn.

Steyn finished with 5-75 to take his series-leading wicket total to 20 wickets. He produced a breathtaking burst of fast swing bowling straight after lunch to remove Cheteshwar Pujara and India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni in the space of two overs. He then dismissed Harbhajan and Ishant Sharma soon after tea for his 16th five-wicket haul in 46 Tests.

South Africa was without key change-bowler Kallis, who was injured while batting on Monday and will be restricted to batting duties for the rest of the match.

The evergreen Tendulkar resisted Steyn’s onslaught with a sublime display of controlled batting and only just missed out on an incredible 21st career score over 150. The 37-year-old Tendulkar has 312 runs from five innings in the series with two centuries and an average of 78.00.

In the morning, India lost Gambhir seven runs short of his 10th Test century and then Laxman to a freak run out at the non-striker’s end when the ball deflected off bowler Harris’ right hand and into the stumps.

Steyn then produced his devastating spell with the new ball, trapping Pujara lbw for 2 with a full, fast, swinging delivery in the first over after lunch that pitched on leg stump and swung across the batsman to trap him on the back foot in front of the stumps. Dhoni edged another big swinger to Ashwell Prince at slip in the third over after lunch as India lost four wickets for 43 runs in 13 overs before and after the interval.

In between Steyn’s wickets, Tendulkar had played an uncharacteristic, rushed hook shot off Morkel at the other end that caught a top edge and flew over the slips for six to give Tendulkar his 51st Test century — 12 more than his nearest rivals.