Andrew Hall celebrates the dismissal of Sachin Tendulkar on Tuesday, Day IV of the first Test in Kanpur. (Reuters)

Kanpur: Opener Virender Sehwag hit a blazing 164 to lift India towards South Africa?s huge first innings total in the first Test on Tuesday.

Sehwag?s eighth Test hundred helped India reach 401 for four at the close of the Day IV in reply to South Africa?s 510 for nine declared.

The hosts were briefly in trouble after pacer Andrew Hall removed Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar (3) in quick succession in the afternoon to reduce the innings to 298 for three. But captain Sourav Ganguly hit 57 and added 96 runs for the fourth wicket with Rahul Dravid, who remained unbeaten on 52 with V.V.S. Laxman on four.

Sehwag dominated the first two sessions after the start of play was delayed by 30 minutes because of fog.

He shared in a 218-run opening stand with Gautam Gambhir, who was out for 96 to miss out on a deserved maiden Test hundred.

The aggressive left-hander, playing just his second Test, edged an angled delivery from Shaun Pollock, giving the experienced pacer his 350th Test victim. Pollock, 31, is already South Africa?s top Test wicket taker.

Sehwag and Gambhir, both resuming on 85 in India?s overnight 185 without loss, notched up India?s second highest Test opening stand.

Sehwag took the bowling apart on a lifeless pitch. He slashed Pollock to third man to enter the 90s before flicking Makhaya Ntini to square leg for a single to complete his second century against South Africa.

The unorthodox Sehwag has shown amazing consistency, scoring his third Test hundred for 2004 and completing 1,000 runs when he reached 144. Sehwag has scored seven hundreds in the past eight series, and in each one of the last five.

After bringing up his eighth Test hundred, Sehwag smashed 56 runs from just 35 deliveries following lunch. .

He eventually fell to seamer Andrew Hall, who trapped Sehwag leg before and then bowled Sachin Tendulkar for three with a ball which nipped back to brush the front pad and hit middle stump.

Sehwag had held sway over Hall until then, hitting him for 18 runs in one over including a big six over mid-wicket.

In all, Sehwag hit 24 fours and two sixes facing 228 balls.

Ganguly played many forceful shots in his 111-ball knock for his 23rd Test 50 but, attempting his eighth four, he pulled debutant Zander de Bruyn?s medium pace to backward square leg.