Harbhajan bags six as India beat Kiwis by ten wickets

- Scorecard

Harbhajan Singh's six-wicket haul guided India to a ten-wicket victory over New Zealand on Day 4 of the first Test in Hamilton on Saturday.

The Indian off-spinner ripped through New Zealand's middle-order to finish with figures of six for 63, as the home team folded up for 279 in their second innings.

Brendon McCullum (84) and Daniel Flynn (67) battled bravely amid the ruins as the Kiwis just about managed to avoid the ignominy of an innings defeat by taking a 38-run lead.

The Indians rattled up the required runs in 5.2 overs to wrap the Test, just before close of play, with a full day to spare and register their first triumph on New Zealand soil in 33 years.

The Indian dressing room erupted in joy as Gautam Gambhir (30) scored the winning runs and kept the team on course for a historic triumph on New Zealand soil, where there last won a series way back in 1968 under the captaincy of Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi.

This is India's first Test win in New Zealand since the eight-wicket victory at Auckland in 1976, when the three match-series was drawn 1-1.

The teams now travel to Napier for the second Test, beginning March 26.

McCullum and Iain O'Brien (14) frustrated India with a gritty 76-run partnership for the ninth wicket, which proved crucial in saving defeat by an innings.

New Zealand were at 199 for 8, still needing 43 to make India bat again, but McCullum braved the odds with a pugnacious knock, his 13th half century, taking him past 2000 runs in Test cricket.

O'Brien also showed gumption while frustrating the Indians for 100 minutes. He eventually fell to Harbhajan, gobbled up by VVS Laxman at silly point.

Set a feeble target of 39 to win, India romped home with Gambhir and Rahul Dravid (8) -- opening in place of Virender Sehwag -- polishing off the runs.

It was Harbhajan's 23rd five-wicket haul and his best figures overseas.

The Kiwis began the day cautiously, the left-handed Flynn and Ross Taylor determined to spend time in the middle. The pair raised hopes of a Kiwi fightback in the first hour with their resilience before Taylor slashed Munaf Patel straight to Sehwag at gully.

Jesse Ryder, perhaps emboldened by his maiden Test hundred in the first innings, began on an aggressive note, hitting Patel uppishly through cover and followed it up with pull shots off Zaheer Khan.

But the burly left-hander was flummoxed by Harbahajan. Having watched Flynn being spilled by Dhoni in the previous over, he sought to play from within the crease only to be trapped right in front of the wickets.

The diminutive Flynn was a picture of confidence. The 23-year-old played some delightful strokes through the off-side. A cover drive off Ishant, which brought up his third half century (10th Test), being the best of his 10 boundaries.

He was a stumbling block in India's surge towards victory, batting close to six hours for a stubborn 67 before being gobbled at short-leg by Gambhir off Harbhajan.

Flynn's demise at 161 hurtled New Zealand towards their first defeat this season, as Daniel Vettori, who had made a resilient 118 in the first innings, fell to Harbhajan's guile, nicking a ball that straightened up for Dhoni to do the rest.

Just a India thought the tail was up for grabs, McCullum and O'Brien delayed the celebrations for close to two hours.

Victory apart, the Indian fielding was scrappy right through the day; Yuvraj Singh, who has evidently slowed down, Patel and substitutes -- Dinesh Karthik and M Vijay -- showing themselves in poor light.

Man of the match Sachin Tendulkar, who had injured his left index finger last evening, did not take the field today.