There were two words that Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni used more than any other when speaking to the media after South Africa had thrashed his team by an innings and six runs in the first test in Nagpur on Tuesday.

"Steyn" and "swing".

Of course, Hashim Amla claimed the man of the match award for his epic 253 not out, but it was Steyn, tearing through India's batting with match figures of 10 for 108, that had ripped the heart out of the home team.

"Credit to Dale Steyn, he bowled really well with that changed ball after tea, it really began to swing. But it was also the best display of conventional swing I have seen here because you hardly ever see that on a good track like this," Dhoni said.

"Steyn would take the ball away but then bring it in from the same spot. You can't leave on bounce in the sub-continent, so it makes it a tough decision whether to go after the ball or not.

"Dale Steyn had reverse swing and his channel was really good. We were not able to get reverse swing going, which is vital if you're going to give your fast bowlers something to play with.

"We were blown away by Dale Steyn and his swing and he is among the most successful bowlers there have ever been," Dhoni admitted.

Dhoni also praised spinner Paul Harris for restricting the Indian batsmen with his accurate line into the leg-side rough, which earned the left-armer three for 76 in 38 overs.

"At some point you have to try and play a shot against him because Harris is the type of spinner who is willing to bowl 30 overs and then he can really bind up one end. So you try to be more positive against him and if it pays off, it looks good, but if it doesn't, it looks like a rash shot.

"He was very difficult to handle bowling into the footmarks, but he's not a big turner of the ball and, even from the rough, some of his balls went straight on," Dhoni said.

South African captain Graeme Smith also praised Harris for silencing his critics, saying there seemed to be nationwide skepticism over his ability in every country he toured.

"I'm used to guys writing Paul off, on every tour we go on, it seems the media and the build-up is always the same, no one gives him any chance," Smith said.

"But he's a solid guy, a really selfless person, and he knows his role. He arrived here with his confidence down after not having such a great time against England. But he allows the pacemen to fulfil their roles, he's like the glue in our attack and I'm very proud of him," Smith said.

Smith admitted that the historic victory - South Africa are the first side to beat India at home by an innings on three occasions - was made all the sweeter by the turmoil around the team after Mickey Arthur resigned less than a week before their departure.

"It's been a really tough two weeks emotionally and, for me personally, the rubbish written back home did weigh on me. But the one thing we really want to tick off is a series win in India and we've taken the first step towards that massive goal. It's very satisfying and you should see how happy the guys are."

Despite winning by such a massive margin, Smith said victories in India did not come cheaply.

"We knew how tough it would be here, but the guys have handled the pressure well. Credit to Corrie van Zyl for creating a good working environment.

"It's hard work to win here, but it was important for us to play our style of cricket. We can't expect to play like India, we need to adapt our style to the conditions. Teams are close in world cricket and you have to make sure you stay that little bit in front," Smith said.

The captain was also understandably delighted to be able draw on the services of the world's number one bowler.

"We thought there was a chance of getting some shape with the ball and if anyone's going to do it, it's Dale Steyn. He's a quality bowler and he swings it at pace, his 10 wickets just showed the class of the man, with his subtleties, little changes in line and different angles of delivery from the crease.

"The other two quicks and Paul Harris then did their supporting job, Jacques Kallis chipped in, and we were able to adapt to the surface. But it takes a lot of energy from the bowlers to be able to put in that effort," Smith said.

And the opening batsman also had a word for the performances of Amla and Kallis on the first day, their partnership of 340 rescuing South Africa from six for two and lifting them to a daunting first innings total of 558 for six declared.

"We got a terrific first innings score, which was crucial, thanks to Hash and Jakes. It's been terrific to watch Hashim become the glue in our side at number three, he's such a strong character, and then Jacques also deserves a lot of credit for his 173," Smith said.

South Africa are now on the brink of going back on top of the world rankings.

"You have to earn the number one ranking through your performances, we want to start the next test fresh. We'll focus on specifics and not get ahead of ourselves because we want to stay at number one for a long time," Smith said.