Nagpur, Feb. 8: South African speed merchants Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel served up the exact ingredients the pampered Indian batting order dislikes. Swift through the air, a probing length and disconcerting bounce from a three-quarter length were mixed in the right proportions to leave India in disarray in the first Test here on Monday.

Following-on after being bowled out for 233, India lost openers Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir before M. Vijay and Sachin Tendulkar saw the day through to 55 without further damage. India are in arrears by 259 runs with eight wickets in hand.

After another Sehwag special had helped keep the match competitive till in an astonishing post-tea spell, Steyn blew the Indian middle order away to set up a huge 325-run lead. It was aggressive spell of fast bowling by Steyn who in 22 balls sent back five batsmen for three runs as India collapsed from 221/4 to 233.

Graeme Smith had no hesitation in enforcing the follow-on. The ball was changed after 55 overs and the hardness of the new sphere helped Steyn gaining reverse swing. Steyn finished with career best figures of 7/51.

India would have been staring at a bigger embarrassment had Sehwag and S. Badrinath not put on a fighting 136-run stand for the fourth wicket (144m, 197b). There was no one else to show a stomach for a battle beyond the duo. Sehwag (109, 139b, 15x4) who registered his 18th Test hundred, was quickly off the blocks with a well-timed cover drive off Steyn and continued to exist in a parallel zone while the others struggled against pace and movement. The start was poor when Morkel got one to move late to catch the outside edge of Gambhir’s bat. The pace was not frightening but effective enough to create doubts. Vijay was set up beautifully by a string of outswingers by Steyn before he got one to swing back. The batsman offered no stroke only to hear the death rattle. Sachin Tendulkar was no feet when Steyn pitched one perfectly up. At 56/3 it looked all South Africa.

After 83 matches and 6,189 runs first-class runs, Badrinath had earned the right. The situation was not new to the 29-year-old but the quality in bowling and the stage did unnerve the 29-year-old. Though Badri collected a boundary of the second ball he faced, he looked ill at ease for the first 20 minutes.

Luckily Sehwag treating the bowling with disdain did not lull Badri to a false sense of security. The first session saw India add 94 runs in 27 overs. South Africa had taken it hands down.

Sehwag continued to march with two straight drives off Wayne Parnell. The first was silken the next savage. Badri was not comfortable but hung in firmly showing good application. At that point it looked like South Africa’s only concern was their tardy over rate. Sehwag essayed a few glorious cover drives while Badri grew stronger square of the wicket.

Graeme Smith introduced J.P. Duminy with a long on and long off. Sehwag was in no mood to hold back. A square cut of Jacques Kallis brought Sehwag his hundred in 134 deliveries. The celebrations said it all. It was a fitting reply after all the questions that were posed on his ability to handle the short ball.

Sehwag reaching for a wide delivery from Parnell had the ball hit the toe of the bat and Duminy accepted the offering at sweeper cover. M.S. Dhoni, saw the ball climb from his pad to the back of his periscope-style bat off Paul Harris. Badri failed to keep a flick down and the fragile lower order was exposed by express pace and reverse swing.

The second innings was no better for the hosts. Gambhir became the third batsman to be bowled while shouldering arms. Sehwag after being hit on the ribs by Morkel poked at Steyn to be snapped up by Smith at first slip.

If South Africa had envisaged a three-day finish at that stage it was not entirely their fault. Vijay and Tendulkar started positively before alternating to solid defence as India lived to fight another day.