He got reprieve on 21 when Imran Tahir dropped him at square leg off Morne Morkel’s bowling.
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At the break, Kyle Abbott was not out without scoring as South Africa tottered against spin bowlers Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja.
India skipper Virat Kohli sent South Africa in and the rewards for that decision began to flow as soon as he threw the ball to Ashwin in the seventh over of the day.
India are 1-0 up in the four-Test series after winning the opening match in Mohali by 108 runs. With a bit of dampness on the pitch, whenever play starts next, South Africa’s seamers will fancy their chances of picking up quick wickets.
De Villiers hit 11 boundaries and a six, before wicket-keeper Wriddhiman Saha dived in front of the stumps to pick up a low catch.
While this is surely not how South African talisman AB de Villiers expected his 100th test to pan out, the Proteas are unlikely to mind the rain intervention.
De Villiers – given a great reception when he came out to bat – showed his class as wickets tumbled at the other end, punishing any loose deliveries with a few stylish strokes as he looked destined for another century.
Close-in fielders Cheteshwar Pujara, at short leg and Ajinkya Rahane at first slip took sharp catches off the spinners as the visiting side kept losing wickets at regular intervals.
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Dean Elgar, who had survived several close calls, finally saw his luck run out when he was bowled while trying to sweep Jadeja. Finally, in the last over, just before the tea, De Villiers surrendered his wicket to Jadeja.
