Centurion, December 3:

Skipper Graeme Smith returned to form as South Africa gained a fourth successive crushing win over India in the fifth and final one-day international.

Sachin Tendulkar top-scored with 55 as India struggled to 200/9 after being sent in to bat. The Indian total proved hopelessly inadequate as South Africa raced to a nine-wicket win with 18.4 overs to spare. They won the series 4-0 with one match rained off.

Smith (79) and AB de Villiers hammered the bowling all around the ground in an opening stand of 173 in 28.1 overs. De Villiers made a career-best 92 not out. He faced 98 balls and hit 12 fours and a six.

India were pinned down by immaculate bowling by Shaun Pollock, who dismissed Virender Sehwag and VVS Laxman with successive balls when the total was 18. Pollock (2-17) was named the man of the match and the series.

SCOREBOARD

INDIA

V Sehwag c Boucher b Pollock 11

S Tendulkar c Villiers b Kemp 55

V Laxman c Smith b Pollock 0

D Mongia b Kemp 41

M Dhoni c Nel b Ntini 44

D Karthik c Boucher b Nel 11

I Pathan b Kallis 7

H Singh c Pollock b Ntini 1

Z Khan not out 16

A Kumble b Ntini 1

Extras: 13 (lb5, w8)

Total: 200/9 (50 overs)

FoW: 1-18, 2-18, 3-103, 4-127, 5-154,

6-173, 7-183, 8-183, 9-200

South Africa bowling: Pollock 10-4-17-2, Ntini 10-1-32-3, Kallis 10-1-56-1,

Nel 10-1-34-1, Peterson 5-0-33-0,

Kemp 5-0-23-2

SOUTH AFRICA

A Villiers not out 92

G Smith c Karthik b Singh 79

S Pollock not out 16

Extras: 14 (lb4, nb5, w5)

Total: 201/1 (31.2 overs)

FoW: 1-173

India bowling: Khan 7-1-46-0,

Sreesanth 3.2-0-31-0, Pathan 6-0-48-0, Singh 8-0-39-1, Kumble 7-0-33-0