India opened their cricket tour of South Africa with a disastrous show against South Africa A.

The tourists went down by 37 runs on Thursday against an opposition in which only a couple have a realistic chance of representing them in the next World Cup.

South African fast bowler Dale Steyn, though, did his chance no harm with a five-wicket haul -- 5 for 22 -- his blistering pace and hostility proving too hot for the Indians.

Since he bowled 10 extras, the Indian batsmen scored only 12 runs off him.

The final margin might appear closer but it was because the hosts pressed in service some irregular bowlers.

The visitors first leaked 68 runs from the final five overs - and 96 from the final 10 - to allow the hosts to recover to 255 and then pulled the plank from under their own feet to be 82 for 6 by the 23rd over.

With openers Wasim Jaffer and Sachin Tendulkar falling for only five runs each and the middle order of Suresh Raina and Dinesh Mongia departing for blobs, India were never in the contest despite captain Rahul Dravid being non-displaceable at the other end.

Dravid kept one end going for 79 runs for 99 balls but most of these runs came against the lesser bowlers in the attack.

The only batsmen who gave company to the captain were Mohammad Kaif (30) and Irfan Pathan (34), the latter backing it up with a good performance up front with the ball and figures of one for 38 from his nine overs.

Dale Steyn was the bowling hero for the hosts as he accounted for Tendulkar and Jaffer in the space of three deliveries and then scalped Mahinder Singh Dhoni (7) and Suresh Raina in his second spell.

Tendulkar essayed a hard cut straight to point while Jaffer edged one into the hands of second slip. Dhoni was frozen and pinned on his back foot by a straight, sharp delivery and Raina was bounced out, the first delivery aimed at his rib cage which the left-hander duly popped up in the hands of forward short leg.

The local bowlers were clearly intent to let the Indians gain any confidence.

Earlier, South Africa A progressed to 255 on the strength of its lower order batsmen, specifically Jacques Rudolph (72 not out) and Albie Morkel (63).

Munaf Patel and Sreesanth gave runs in excess of 60 from their 10 overs though it was redeemed a bit by good show from comeback seniors Anil Kumble (2 for 31) and Zaheer Khan (3 for 43).

Scoreboard

South Africa A: Morne van Wyk c Dhoni b Patel 7; Alviro Peterson c Tendulkar b Khan 38; Hashim Amla c Dhoni b Khan 10; Neil McKenzie lbw b Kumble 47; Ashwell Prince c Dravid b Pathan 31; Jacques Rudolph not out 72; Johan van Wath lbw b Kumble 0; Albie Morkel c Kaif b Zaheer Khan 63; Roger Telemachus run out 2; Albert Thomas not out 1; Extras (lb4, w8, nb2) 14; Total (for 8 wkts, 50 overs) 255

Fall of wickets: 1-16, 2-44, 3-57, 4-114, 5-116, 6-116, 7-212, 8-232

India, bowling:

Irfan Pathan 9-0-38-1 (w2, nb1); Munaf Patel 9-3-63-1 (w1); Zaheer Khan 10-1-43-3 (w3); Sreesanth 10-1-62-0 (nb1, w1); Anil Kumble 10-0-31-2 (w1); Sachin Tendulkar 2-0-14-0

India: Wasim Jaffer c Prince b Steyn 5; Sachin Tendulkar c Peterson b Steyn 5; Mohammad Kaif c wan Wyk b Thomas 30; Rahul Dravid b Steyn 79; Mahinder Singh Dhoni lbw b Steyn 7; Suresh Raina c Amla b Steyn 0; Dinesh Mongia lbw b Thomas 0; Irfan Pathan b Tshabalala 34; Anil Kumble lbw b Rudolph 3; Zaheer Khan c Man van Wyk b Thomas 13; Sreesanth not out 8; Extras (b1, lb4, w21, nb7) 33; Total (all out, 49.1 overs) 218

Fall of wickets: 1-10, 2-12, 3-67, 4-81, 5-81, 6-82, 7-166, 8-183, 9-194

South Africa A, bowling: