NAGPUR, India (AFP) — South Africa thumped India by an innings and six runs despite a fighting century by Sachin Tendulkar on the fourth day of the first Test yesterday to go 1-0 up in the two-match series.

Fast bowler Dale Steyn (3-57) and left-arm spinner Paul Harris (3-76) shared six wickets to bowl out India for 319 in their follow-on at the Vidarbha Cricket Association stadium in Nagpur.

Harris picked the key wickets of Tendulkar (100) and Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who suffered his first Test defeat as captain since taking charge in 2008.

It was India’s third defeat by an innings margin at home since 2000, all of those coming against South Africa.

The South Africans now need just to draw the second and final Test, beginning in Kolkata on February 14, to reclaim their top world ranking from India.

The emphatic win was set up by Hashim Amla (253) and Jacques Kallis (173), who helped South Africa post an imposing 558-6 declared before Steyn picked a career-best 7-51 to bowl out India for 233 in their first knock.

Steyn finished with a haul of 10-108, while Amla was named man-of-the-match.

Scoreboard

South Africa 1st innings 558-6 dec (H Amla 253, J Kallis 173, de Villiers 53; Zaheer 3-96)

India 1st innings: 233 (V Sehwag 109, S Badrinath 56; D Steyn 7-51)

India 2nd innings (following on):

G Gambhir b Morkel 1

V Sehwag c Smith b Steyn 16

M Vijay c Morkel b Harris 32

S Tendulkar b Harris 100

S Badrinath c Boucher b Parnell 6

MS Dhoni c de Villiers b Harris 25

W Saha lbw b Steyn 36

H Singh lbw b Parnell 39

Z Khan c Harris b Kallis 33

A Mishra b Steyn 0

I Sharma not out 0

Extras (b15, lb8, w6, nb2) 31

Total (for all out in 1071 overs) 319

Fall of wickets: 1-1 (Gambhir), 2-24 (Sehwag), 3-96 (Vijay), 4-122 (Badrinath), 5-192 (Tendulkar), 6-209 (Dhoni), 7-259 (Harbhajan), 8-318 (Zaheer), 9-318 (Saha), 10-319 (Mishra)

Bowling: Steyn 181-1-57-3, Morkel 21-6-65-1 (w6, nb1), Parnell 13-2-58-2, Harris 38-17-76-3, Kallis 12-3-19-1, Duminy 5-0-21-0 (nb1)

Result: South Africa won by an innings and six runs

Toss: South Africa

Umpires: Ian Gould (ENG) and Steve Davis (AUS)

TV umpire: Amiesh Saheba (IND)

Match referee: Andy Pycroft (ZIM).