South Africa completed a comprehensive innings and six-run victory over India with a full day to spare in the first Test in Nagpur to go 1-0 up in the two-match series.

Following on after conceding a massive first-innings lead of 325, India were bowled out for 319 in their second knock despite a determined 100 from Sachin Tendulkar.

Spinner Paul Harris set up the victory with a three-wicket haul, including the wickets of Tendulkar and Mahendra Singh Dhoni, while Dale Steyn claimed two tail-end scalps to complete a match tally of 10 wickets.

South Africa chipped away throughout the day, despite a bright start from Murali Vijay (32) and Tendulkar in the morning.

Tendulkar set the pace in a third-wicket stand which eventually yielded 72, slashing boundaries in consecutive overs off Steyn - the first past point and the other square on the leg side - and driving Harris for a boundary in his first over.

Vijay played the supporting role to perfection at the other end, but perished when he attempted a sweep against Harris' leg-stump line, skying a catch to Mornie Morkel, who gleefully accepted on the square-leg boundary.

That dismissal brought debutant Subramaniam Badrinath to the crease, but the middle-order batsman managed only six before he was dismissed by Wayne Parnell.

Dhoni then joined Tendulkar and the experienced duo gave India a glimmer of hope with a battling partnership worth 70 before Harris removed the latter. Tendulkar attempted a sweep but missed, the ball deflecting off the thigh pad onto the arm and crashing onto the stumps.

The spinner then dismissed Dhoni just before the tea interval, an inside edge onto the pad snapped up by AB de Villiers at silly point.

Harbhajan Singh (39) produced an entertaining cameo before he was eventually trapped in front by Parnell. Zaheer Khan (33) was the next to go after adding 59 for the eighth wicket with Wriddhiman Saha (36), who was dismissed lbw by Steyn, while Amit Mishra was bowled by the Proteas paceman.