DURBAN - Dale Steyn took two early wickets to set up an emphatic 10-wicket win for South Africa on the fifth day of the second and final Test against India at Kingsmead on Monday. The win clinched the two-match series for South Africa after the first Test in Johannesburg was drawn. It also confirmed South Africa's ranking as the world's number one Test team ahead of second-ranked India.
Fast bowler Steyn set the tone for South Africa by taking two key wickets in his first two overs of the day. He followed up with a third wicket - his 350th in Tests - with the second new ball and finished with three for 47 as India were dismissed for 223, leaving South Africa a target of 58. Alviro Petersen and Graeme Smith need only 48 minutes and 11.4 overs to knock off the runs. It meant that Jacques Kallis, playing in his last Test, did not need to bat again after his first innings of 115 built the platform for South Africa to take a crucial 166-run first innings lead.
Steyn dismissed overnight batsmen Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara after India resumed on 68 for two. Vernon Philander dismissed Rohit Sharma and left-arm spinner Robin Peterson took two wickets in one over before lunch to leave India facing defeat with only the tail to come. Ajinkya Rahane carried India's hopes and made a fighting 96, his second half-century of the match, before he was last man out.
Steyn finished with three for 47 while new ball partner Vernon Philander took three for 43 and left-arm spinner Robin Peterson claimed four for 74. Kohli was given out to the first ball of a bright, sunny morning, pushing at a fast, rising delivery outside his off stump. Kohli looked shocked by umpire Rod Tucker's decision and replays indicated the ball may have brushed his shirt sleeve after going past the outside edge of his bat. There is no decision review system in place for the series because India have rejected using technology for anything other than line decisions.
With Kohli gone, Pujara loomed as the biggest obstacle to South Africa's push for a win. But he was beaten by a ball which straightened past his forward defensive stroke and clipped the top of his off stump. Neither batsmen added to their overnight scores of 11 and 32 respectively. Rohit Sharma and Rahane resisted for more than an hour, adding 33 runs, before Sharma was trapped leg before wicket by a ball from Vernon Philander which seamed back at him.
Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni attempted to counter-attack before whipping a ball from Peterson straight to Alviro Petersen at midwicket. Ravindra Jadeja hit a six off Peterson but in attempting to repeat the shot sliced the ball high to mid-off where Morne Morkel held a well-judged catch. Zaheer Khan survived for more than an hour before he was leg before to Peterson. The new ball accounted for the last two wickets, with Ishant Sharma fending a Steyn bouncer to wicketkeeper AB de Villiers and Rahane swinging and missing against Philander as he tried to complete what would have been a maiden Test century.
Rahane, playing in only his third Test, completed an impressive series. A compact, composed batsman, he dealt competently with South Africa's pace barrage. He had been unbeaten on 51 in the first innings and was mainly responsible for forcing South Africa to bat again. He played some aggressive shots as he ran out of partners and square cut Philander for six before falling in the same over.
Scoreboard

INDIA 1ST INNINGS: 334
SOUTH AFRICA 1ST INNINGS: 500
INDIA 2ND INNINGS:
(OVERNIGHT: 68-2):
S Dhawan c Du Plessis b Peterson    19
M Vijay c Smith b Philander    6
C Pujara b Steyn    32
V Kohli c De Villiers b Steyn    11
R Sharma lbw b Philander    25
A Rahane b Philander    96
M Dhoni c Petersen b Peterson    15
R Jadeja c Morkel b Peterson    8
Zaheer Khan lbw b Peterson    3
I Sharma c De Villiers b Steyn    1
M Shami not out    1
EXTRAS: (b4, w2)    6
TOTAL: (all out; 86 overs)    223
FOW: 1-8, 2-53, 3-68, 4-71, 5-104, 6-146, 7-154, 8-189, 9-206
BOWLING: Steyn 21-8-47-3, Philander 16-4-43-3, Morkel 16-6-34-0, Peterson 24-3-74-4, Duminy 8-2-20-0, Du Plessis 1-0-1-0
SOUTH AFRICA 2ND INNINGS:
A Petersen not out    31
G Smith not out    27
EXTRAS: (w1)    1
TOTAL: (0 wkts, 11.4 overs)    59
BOWLING: M Shami 2-1-4-0, I. Sharma 5-1-29-0, Jadeja 4-0-16-0, R Sharma 0.4-0-10-0
TOSS: India
UMPIRES: Steve Davis, Rod Tucker (both AUS)
TV UMPIRE: Adrian Holdstock (RSA)
MATCH REFEREE: Andy Pycroft (ZIM)