Jacques Kallis made his 45th Test hundred and became the fourth South Africa batsman to score a century in his final Test.
Kallis' 115 took his career aggregate to 13,289 runs, the third highest in Tests. He was dismissed just after passing Rahul Dravid's 13,288 and fell 89 short of Ricky Ponting's 13,378. Kallis' average of 55.37 is the second highest after Kumar Sangakkara's 56.98, among batsmen with at least 10,000 Test runs.
Kallis also passed 9000 runs batting at No. 4. Only Sachin Tendulkar, with 13,492 runs, has scored more at No. 4. Kallis' average of 61.86 at this position is the best among batsmen who have at least 4000 runs at No. 4.
Ravindra Jadeja's figures of 6 for 138 - his second five-for - are his best in Tests. It was also the first five-wicket haul by an India left-arm spinner outside the subcontinent in over 30 years, since Dilip Doshi's 6 for 102 against England at Old Trafford in 1982.
Jadeja's haul is the first five-for by a spinner in the first innings in Durban since 2000, when Muttiah Muralitharan took 5 for 122. Before that, a spinner took five wickets in the first innings at this venue in 1964, when England's David Allen took 5 for 41.
Jadeja's 58.2 overs in South Africa's innings is the most an India spinner has bowled in Tests outside the subcontinent since Narendra Hirwani bowled 59 overs at The Oval in 1990.
The partnership between Faf du Plessis and Robin Peterson gave South Africa's innings much-needed impetus. They scored at 6.11 runs an over - the fastest 100-plus partnership in Tests at Kingsmead (for which balls-recorded data exists). The last time South Africa added 100 or more for the eighth wicket against India was in Johannesburg in 1997, when Daryll Cullinan and Lance Klusener were involved in a match-saving 127-run stand.
Peterson's 61 is the second half-century by a South Africa No. 9 since Nicky Boje's 76 against England in Cape Town in 2005. The other fifty was by Kallis in the first innings of the famous draw at the Adelaide Oval last year, when he was batting lower down because of a hamstring injury.
South Africa scored 500 or more at this venue for the first time in over five years. The last time they scored 500-plus at Kingsmead was against West Indies in 2008. There have been only six scores of 500 or more by them in 71 innings at this venue.
Dale Steyn, du Plessis and Peterson collectively scored 148 runs in the first innings - the most South Africa's No. 7, 8 and 9 have scored in an innings against India.