Centurion, Dec 20: Sachin Tendulkar's historical feat of 50 centuries in Test cricket was not enough to save India from defeat as South Africa registered a win by a huge margin of an innings and 20 runs in the first Test.

Morne Morkel got the better of S Sreesanth for 3. The Indian paceman was caught by AB de Villiers at second slip. Morkel’s new ball partner Dale Steyn removed Jaidev Unadkat to seal the win.

India began the day at 454/8, still needing another 30 runs to make South Africa bat again.

Earlier, Sachin Tendulkar reached a significant landmark in the history of the game by posting his 50th Test century in the third session of the fourth day’s play of the Centurion Test. Tendulkar’s innings, a remarkable display of his powers of concentration, and inclement weather have now given India an outside chance of saving this Test match.

Tendulkar began his innings of 80 after lunch on a more positive note. After having helped himself to a couple of boundaries, the Master then hit a big six off Paul Harris over long-off to move into the nineties. A few overs later, with the SuperSport Park crowd delirious in anticipation of Sachin’s landmark, the Indian legend brought up his 50th Test century by driving Dale Steyn to the cover boundary for a single. The landmark is in no danger of being breached in the foreseeable future by a contemporary player.

But shortly after that historic moment, South Africa struck back by getting rid of MS Dhoni. The Indian captain, aggressive in his innings of 90 off 106 balls, edged a short delivery from Dale Steyn to wicketkeeper Mark Boucher, with the score at 449. And when Harbhajan Singh fell soon after to the left-arm spin of Paul Harris without opening his account, it appeared that India would fold shortly.

Man of the Match: Jacques Kallis

Brief Scores:

End of match: India 2nd innings 459 (128.1 ov) After Day 4: India 2nd innings 454/8 in 122.2 overs (SR Tendulkar 107, S Sreesanth 3) After Day 3: India 2nd innings 190/2 in 44.1 overs (Rahul Dravid 28*, Ishant Sharma 7*) After Day 2: South Africa 1st innings 366/2 2 in 87 overs (Hashim Amla 116*, Jacques Kallis 102*) After Day 1: India 1st nnings 136/9 in 38.1 overs (MS Dhoni 33*, Jaidev Unadkat 1*)