The 26-year-old set South Africa up for a commanding victory in the first Test against India with a mesmeric exhibition of quick bowling at the VCA stadium on Monday, returning Test best figures of seven for 51 as India were forced to follow on in their own backyard for the first time in more than six years.

Through Virender Sehwag’s 18th century, characterised by watchful aggression, India appeared to be tiding over the early setbacks of the third morning when, armed with a changed ball, Steyn cut a swathe through the middle and lower orders in the immediacy of the tea interval.
In one rousing spell of 3.4-2-3-5, the express paceman battered India, who lost their last six wickets for just 12 runs and were shot out for just 233, replying to South Africa’s 558 for six declared.

Armed with a healthy 325-run cushion, Graeme Smith enforced the follow on and found further joy as Steyn and Morne Morkel evicted Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir respectively, leaving India at 66 for two and staring at their first home defeat since going down to South Africa in Ahmedabad in April 2008.

Even during their unbeaten run in Test cricket dating back to late 2008, India have suffered some serious batting collapses, but nothing has been as stunning as that on Monday. At one point, India lost eight for 36 in an hour in two innings combined, their confidence severely dented and their reputation as a big-scoring batting unit lying in tatters.

That India were forced to field a weakened batting line-up was offset by the fact that the pitch was still good for batting, as Sehwag (109, 212m, 139b, 15x4) and debutant S Badrinath showed during their untroubled fourth-wicket association that heralded the lone bright spot in the Indian batting chart.

No praise, though, can be too high for the manner in which Steyn displayed his awesome craft. With the new ball, he was genuinely quick and got the ball to swing both ways; with the changed old ball that reversed more dramatically than the previous one, he kept tailing the ball into the right-handed lower order and winkled them out in a trice in what must inarguably be one of the most telling spells of quick bowling in this country.

The first signs that India had their task cut out came in the day’s second over. Gambhir’s brilliant recent touch had a role in his dismissal to the first delivery he faced, the left-hander good enough to nick a late awayswinger from Morkel. India had perforce needed the proven Delhi combine to put up a huge partnership, particularly with Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman missing. Gambhir’s departure with just 31 on the board was exactly what they could have done without.

There was more heartbreak in store as Steyn got into the act. Murali Vijay was beautifully set up with a string of awayswingers, followed by an inswinger to which he shouldered arms and saw his off-stump bent back, while Sachin Tendulkar lasted less than half an hour, sucked into driving loosely at a late awayswinger.

Through that period and beyond, Sehwag batted with complete control. Continuing to favour the off-side, he chose his shots carefully, unaffected by South African verbals, and nursed Badrinath through a hesitant early phase from which the Tamil Nadu batsman came out quite nicely.

Post lunch, Badrinath embraced fluency even as Sehwag played with less freedom but as much authority as is his wont, reaching his century to loud cheers from young school kids who soaked in the entertainment.

When he finally fell to his natural instinct to get on top of Wayne Parnell, the fourth-wicket pair had put on 136 (144m, 197b), though there was plenty to do. Plenty wasn’t done, however. Badrinath reached a deserved fifty, immediately after which the soft ball was swapped for a harder ball that reversed alarmingly.

From there till the end was a dramatic passage of play, the Steyn remover totally in his elements.

Score Board

SOUTH AFRICA (I Innings): 558/6 decl in 176 overs

INDIA (I Innings, O/n: 25/0):

Gambhir c Boucher b Morkell    2
(22m, 15b, 2x4)
Sehwag c Duminy b Parnell    109
(212m, 139b, 15x4)
Vijay b Steyn    4
(15m, 13b, 1x4)
Tendulkar c Boucher b Steyn    7
(25m, 16b, 1x4)
Badrinath c Prince b Steyn    56
(195m, 139b, 7x4)
Dhoni c Kallis b Harri    6
(46m, 29b, 1x4)
Saha b Steyn    0
(5m, 3b)
Harbhajan lbw Steyn    8
(29m, 16b, 1x4)
Zaheer b Steyn    2
(7m, 8b)
Mishra b Steyn    0
(6m, 9b)
Ishant (not out)    0
(8m, 5b)
Extras (B-13, LB-7, W-5, NB-4)    29
Total (all out, 64.4 overs)    233
Fall of wickets: 1-31 (Gambhir), 2-40 (Vijay), 3-56 (Tendulkar), 4-1 92 (Sehwag), 5-221 (Dhoni), 6-221 (Badrinath), 7-222 (Saha), 8-226 (Zaheer), 9-228 (Mishra).
Bowling: Steyn 16.4-6-51-7, Morkel 15-4-58-1 (nb-4), Harris 17-2-39-1, Parnell 7-1-31-1 (w-5), Kallis 6-0-14-0, Duminy 3-0-20-0.

INDIA (II Innings):

Gambhir b Morkel    1
(6m, 3b)
Sehwag c Smith b Steyn    16
(25m, 19b, 4x4)
Vijay (batting)    27
(99m, 68b, 4x4)
Tendulkar (batting)    15
(80m, 48b, 2x4)
Extras (B-2, W-5)    7
Total (for 2 wkts, 23 overs)    66
Fall of wickets: 1-1 (Gambhir), 2-24 (Sehwag).
Bowling: Steyn 4-0-14-1, Morne Morkel 6-2-21-1 (w-5), Wayne Parnell 2-0-12-0, Harris 7-3-12-0, Kallis 4-2-5-0.