After a crucial 89-run partnership in the first innings, they followed it up 222 in the second which all but took the game away from South Africa. The Indian fans had got used to the old firm of Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar over the last 15 years.
They hold the record for the most number of century stands (20) in Tests, at an average of 50.51. Kohli and Pujara, in their first outing as replacements in the Dravid-Tendulkar slots, made the most of the occasion.
In both the innings, Pujara initially took the brunt of the attack while Kohli looked to find the gaps and keep the scoreboard ticking.
"Pujara is just like Dravid, he shows the same hunger for runs, the same application and dedication towards the team's cause. Kohli is also batting beautifully at the No. 4 position. Rahul and Sachin were absolutely phenomenal not just for a few years but decades, and that is what these two youngsters should strive to do.
They should be like Dravid and Tendulkar and put India ahead of everything," Indian legend Sunil Gavaskar said in a television interview at the end of the third day's play.
Even on the start of the fourth day, Pujara and Kohli showed the maturity to grind out the runs and blunt the second new ball, which was a last throw of the dice for the South Africans.
The runs were not exactly flowing but the job was getting done. "It's the contrasting style that makes them so special in that slot. If both are attacking players, there's sometimes a competition to outscore each other.
But these two guys compliment each other very well, much like Rahul and Sachin," former South African skipper Kepler Wessels told TOI.
Ishant Sharma said at the end of the third day's play "the calming influence" that these two guys had on the team when they were batting. "In both the innings, when they were batting together, we were not totally safe. But the two batted beautifully to take us to a position of strength," Ishant said.
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