At tea, skipper Kohli was batting at 194, and had Ravindra Jadeja (25) alongside him at the crease.
After losing the well settled Ajinkya Rahane immediately after lunch to off-spinner Keshav Maharaj, the Indians continued to pile on the agony on the South African bowling attack with Kohli and Jadeja scoring runs at a brisk pace.
Kohli, who became the first Indian captain to score 40 international tons was the dominant partner in the 97-run fifth wicket stand with Jadeja . Kohli broke records a plenty on course of bringing up his 26th Test ton.
South Africa skipper Faf Du Plessis tried all the tricks in the book but none of his bowlers looked to leave an impression against the Indians who had their eye in and looked at ease on a good batting deck.
Brief Scores
India - 473-4 at Tea
Virat Kohli (194*), Ravindra Jadeja (25)