SPINNER Simon Harmer finished with eight wickets in the match as South Africa bowled India out for 93 to win the first Test by 30 runs inside three days in Kolkata on Sunday.
India, chasing 124, were without captain Shubman Gill, who was ruled out after a neck injury on Saturday. The hosts slipped early and could not recover in the fourth innings.
Harmer, who took 4-30 in India’s first innings, made key strikes in the second session. He removed Rishabh Pant for two, caught and bowled, to put India further under pressure.
Keshav Maharaj took two wickets in two balls to end India’s chase, sealing South Africa’s 1-0 lead in the two-Test series.
Washington Sundar tried to hold the chase together but fell for 31 to Aiden Markram’s off-spin.
Axar Patel hit two sixes off Maharaj before the bowler dismissed him for 26 off 17 balls.
Earlier, Marco Jansen removed both Indian openers before lunch. With Gill absent and still in hospital “under observation”, India were effectively 10-3 at the break before Harmer took control.
Jansen struck in his first over as Yashasvi Jaiswal edged to Kyle Verreynne. The wicketkeeper later took a diving catch to remove KL Rahul.
South Africa captain Temba Bavuma scored 55 not out in the second innings, taking his team to 153.
Resuming on 93-7, Bavuma started the day on 29 and reached the first half-century of the match. His 44-run stand with Corbin Bosch pushed South Africa ahead before Jasprit Bumrah bowled Bosch for 25.
Bavuma completed his fifty in 122 balls. Mohammed Siraj then bowled Harmer for seven and dismissed last man Maharaj for a duck as Bavuma ran out of partners. Ravindra Jadeja finished with 4-50.
South Africa had earlier made 159 after choosing to bat on Friday. They bowled India out for 189 on Saturday to limit the deficit to 30, before struggling again with the bat.
The second Test starts Saturday in Guwahati.
(With inputs from agencies)
