Harbhajan Singh starred in a resounding eight-wicket victory over South Africa that helped India win the two-Test series here on Thursday.
The off-spinner grabbed 7-87 to block all escape routes for the visiting side, who managed to draw the first match in Kanpur last week.
It was only the second Test series win for India over South Africa after the 1996-97 series at home which India won 2-1.
Harbhajan bowled an immaculate spell on the final day as South Africa were dismissed for 222 in their second innings to leave India with an easy target of 117 to get in well over two sessions.
India made it home comfortably as Rahul Dravid (47 not out) and Sachin Tendulkar (32 not out) got the runs with a full session to go.
South Africa, who had conceded a 106-run first innings lead, lost their remaining five wickets this morning for just 50 runs with Harbhajan picking three and leg-spinner Anil Kumble taking two.
South Africa’s hopes of fighting it out after finishing the fourth day on 172-5 evaporated early when Harbhajan dismissed Jacques Kallis (55) after the first-innings centurion had added just three to his overnight score.
Kallis was surprised by the bounce on a flighted delivery and gave an easy return catch to Harbhajan.
”That was the most satisfying dismissal as it was the most important wicket for us,” said Harbhajan, who finished with nine wickets in the match to earn the man of the match award.
”Eden Gardens has always been special for me,” said the off-spinner, who got a Test hat-trick against Australia here in 2001. ”It feels great to get wickets when the team wants them.”
Shaun Pollock, who became only the fifth player in Test history to get a double of 3Â 000 runs and 300 wickets when he scored six runs, fell to a bad decision.
Umpire Daryl Harper declared the batsman caught at short leg but replays showed the ball neither hit the bat nor was the catch taken cleanly by Gambhir.
The remaining batsmen could do little and South Africa were all out in just 72 minutes of play in the morning.
Kumble, who dismissed Thami Tsolekile and Makhaya Ntini, equalled all-rounder Kapil Dev’s Indian Test record of 434 Test wickets.
South Africa missed the services of an experienced spinner on a pitch on which the ball turned a lot and also kept low on several occasions.
But they did manage to remove Indian openers Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir.
Sehwag (10) was caught by captain Graeme Smith at first slip off paceman Ntini, while Gambhir (26) was trapped lbw by part-time leg-spinner Jacques Rudolph.
But Dravid and Tendulkar were not troubled by either pacers or spinners as they added 60 runs for the unbroken third-wicket stand.
South Africa, who won both Tests on their last tour here in 2000, had won three of their six previous Tests on Indian soil, lost two and drawn the first Test of this series.
India started firm favourites in this series because of the lack of experience in the South African side.
Two of their main players, opener Herschelle Gibbs and spinner Nicky Boje, withdrew from the tour fearing detention by police over a match-fixing case which has been under investigation for for four years.
Others like Gary Kirsten, Allan Donald and Jonty Rhodes retired during the past year, while wicket-keeper Mark Boucher and all-rounder Lance Klusener were not picked for the tour. – Sapa-AFP