Hamilton: Harbhajan Singh took six wickets for 63 runs as India beat New Zealand by 10 wickets in the first cricket test on Saturday, posting its first test win in New Zealand in 33 years to lead the three-match series 1-0. 

India led by 241 runs after its first innings when it reached 520 in reply to New Zealand's 279, then dismissed the hosts for for 279 in its second innings to leave itself needing just 39 runs for victory on the fourth day. 

Gautam Gambhir finished on 30 not out, while Rahul Dravid was on eight after Harbhajan Singh had ripped through New Zealand's second innings with figures of six for 63 to set up the win--their first in New Zealand since 1976. 

Sachin Tendulkar, who scored 160 in India's first innings, was named man of the match. 


New Zealand resumed its second innings on Saturday at 75-3, trailing India by 161 runs and slumped in the face of Harbhajan's 23rd five-wicket test haul to 199-8. 

A 76-run, 10th-wicket partnership between Brendon McCullum and Iain O'Brien allowed New Zealand to avoid an innings defeat. 

Harbhajan hastened New Zealand's decline, taking five of the seven wickets to fall, including those of Daniel Flynn for 67, Jesse Ryder for 21 and Daniel Vettori for 21, eliminating the main obstacles to India's victory. 

Flynn's posted his third test half century and was the only New Zealand batsman early in the day to show the discipline and application necessary to save the match. 

When he was dismissed in the second session with New Zealand at 161-7, the match was lost.