HAMILTON, New Zealand (AP):

Harbhajan Singh took six for 63 as India beat New Zealand by 10 wickets in the first cricket Test yesterday, posting their first Test win in New Zealand in 33 years to lead the three-match series 1-0.

India led by 241 runs on the first innings after replying with 520 to New Zealand's 279, then dismissed New Zealand for 279 in its second innings, leaving only 39 runs for victory on the fourth day.

India reached that total without loss and in only 5.2 overs with Gautam Gambhir making 30 and Virender Sehwag eight.

Trailing India

New Zealand resumed their second innings yesterday at 75 for three, trailing India by 161 runs and slumped in the face of Harbhajan's 23rd five-wicket bag in Tests to 199 for eight.

A 76-run, 10th-wicket partnership between Brendon McCullum, who top-scored with 84, and Iain O'Brien, who reached his best score in Tests, of 14, allowed New Zealand to avoid an innings defeat.

McCullum was the last man out and India were untroubled in reaching the winning target minutes ahead of the regular stumps time at 6 p.m. Harbhajan hastened New Zealand's decline, taking five of the seven wickets which fell yesterday, 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 half century in Tests and was the only New Zealand batsman early in the day to show the discipline and application which would have been necessary to save the match. When he was out in the second session, at 161 for seven, the match was lost.

McCullum produced some pugnacious late resistance and found a stoic partner in O'Brien, who stuck at the crease for an hour and 40 minutes, slowing India's bid for victory. He helped New Zealand erase India's first-innings lead and made it necessary for the tourists to bat again to seal their victory.

McCullum batted for almost three hours and hit 11 fours in an innings which partly relieved New Zealand's embarrassment at a comprehensive defeat.

"It's pretty disappointing," McCullum said. "Playing at home you set high standards for yourself and we didn't play to those standards. We pride ourselves on our fight and scrapping and I don't think we fought and scrapped hard enough in this Test."

Commanding lead

India held a vice-like grip on the Test from the first day when, after winning the toss and making the unexpected decision to bowl first, they reduced New Zealand to 60 for six before lunch.

"We chose to field first and the bowlers proved that my decision was right," India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said. "We got six early wickets and after lunch the pitch became easy to bat on and it wasn't easy getting wickets after that."

New Zealand captain Vettori (118) made his third Test century and Ryder (102) his first in a small comeback, but New Zealand's first-innings total of 279 was never enough to pressure India.

Tendulkar's super innings, his 42nd Test century and his 18th Test innings in excess of 150, gave India a commanding first-innings lead.