Johannesburg: India made history with a rare victory at the Wanderers on Monday. This was the country's first Test triumph on South African soil after three barren campaigns. And it, significantly, was achieved on a pitch offering bounce and movement.

Rahul Dravid and his men kept their date with destiny ten minutes before lunch on day four when Virender Sehwag, running towards cover point, held a miscued stroke from Makhaya Ntini off a persevering Zaheer Khan.

The South African innings — the host resumed at 163 for five — had concluded at 278. India, against the odds, had snatched a sensational 123-run win in the first match of the three-Test Castle series.

Celebration time

The Indians leapt for joy, picked up stumps as souvenirs, and then got together for the customary team huddle. The celebrations continued in the dressing room. The side had shown much character and resilience after the pounding in the ODI series.

There was resistance from the left-handed Ashwell Prince (97, 223b, 11x4) and the smooth-stroking Shaun Pollock (40, 41b, 4x6, 6x1) but this was a day when Anil Kumble's guile and experience signalled South Africa's end.

Dravid won an important toss to set the ball rolling for India. Sourav Ganguly (first innings) and V.V.S. Laxman (second innings) played crucial knocks, stringing partnerships with the lower order. Man of the Match S. Sreesanth (eight for 99 in the Test) swung the match, decisively, in India's favour.

Sreesanth fined

The lad has a bright future but has to rein in his aggression. The paceman has been reported for his behaviour by the umpires to the Match Referee. The verdict will be announced later.

Dravid once again had his finger on the pulse of the game. The fact that he, due to a finger injury, was forced not to stand at slips, actually, made him more visible on the field. He walked up to the bowlers from mid-off and mid-on, with an arm of encouragement and guidance.

His field placements were spot-on. For most part, there was no deep point or deep square-leg, which meant the pacemen could not afford to give the batsmen width.

Importantly, the cordon of Tendulkar, Laxman, Ganguly and Sehwag, missed little. The pacemen were backed by sharp catching. The South Africans could not build partnerships and they suffered.

On a day when history beckoned, the Indians had to hold their nerves. They also needed to strike early. Zaheer fetched India the breakthrough, winning a marginal leg-before decision against Mark Boucher, who erred by not playing forward. Sreesanth's line was not quite as impeccable as on earlier days. But Kumble joined the party in a typically probing spell of 9-2-23-3 on a surface that seemed to have improved for batting.

He deceived Pollock in the air, even as the batsman attempted a wild heave. Then, he went round the wicket to Prince and breached his defence with a slower, fuller ball. The batsman, anxious to reach his century, played all over the delivery. In between, he had trapped Andre Nel leg-before with a quicker one. The wily leg-spinner mixed his length and varied his pace.

Prince and Pollock added 67 in 87 balls in a defiant seventh-wicket partnership.

Prince put a price on his wicket. This compact southpaw defended the good balls, and unleashed the horizontal strokes whenever provided the width. His top-edge off a V.R.V. Singh no-ball was not gathered by M.S. Dhoni, but he did not give the bowlers too many opportunities on Monday.

SCOREBOARD

India - 1st innings: 249

South Africa - 1st innings: 84

India - 2nd innings: 236

South Africa - 2nd innings: H. Gibbs c Tendulkar b Zaheer 0, G. Smith c Sehwag b Sreesanth 10, H. Amla c Dhoni b Sreesanth 17, J. Kallis c Ganguly b Sreesanth 27, A. Prince b Kumble 97, A. de Villiers (run out) 17, M. Boucher lbw b Zaheer 23, S. Pollock b Kumble 40, A. Nel lbw b Kumble 6, D. Steyn (not out) 6, M. Ntini c Sehwag b Zaheer 8, Extras (lb-8, nb-19): 27, Total (in 86.5 overs): 278.

Fall of wickets: 1-0, 2-22, 3- 34, 4-84, 5-120, 6-164, 7-231, 8-245, 9-264.

India bowling: Zaheer 22.5-5- 79-3, Sreesanth 25-8-59-3, V.R.V Singh 18-4-67-0, Ganguly 1-0- 11-0, Kumble 20-4-54-3.

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