KANPUR, India (AP) India collapsed from 154-1 to 291-9 against New Zealand on the first day of the first test, with spinner Mitchell Santner and seamer Trent Boult taking three wickets each on Thursday.
Murali Vijay top-scored with 65, and Cheteshwar Pujara made 62, with the pair adding 112 runs for the second wicket before Santner had Pujara caught and bowled.
While New Zealand's fightback was admirable, with three wickets in the middle session after five after tea, India had a total which already looked very competitive. India won the toss and didn't hesitate to bat first on a Kanpur pitch expected to be tougher to score on by the day.
And New Zealand, which has won only two of 31 tests in India, still has to face spin nemesis Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja.
''The wicket is on the slower side and we have plans (against their batsmen), too,'' Vijay said. ''It will be difficult for them as well with the quality of Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja.''
Starting its 500th test under overcast skies and swing-friendly conditions, India looked comfortable in reaching lunch on 105-1, but then lost three wickets for 33 runs in the 11 overs before tea.
After the loss of Lokesh Rahul for 32 in the morning, and then Pujara's dismissal, Virat Kohli came to the crease to a loud cheer from the Green Park crowd. But the captain lasted only 10 balls, and was caught at short leg on 9, trying to pull a bouncer from Neil Wagner. It's the third time the medium-pacer has dismissed Kohli.
Vijay fell in the last over before tea, caught behind off Ish Sodhi as the ball held its line after pitching. New Zealand was starting to reap the rewards for bowling tight lines and good field placements.
''I wouldn't say it is difficult to bat on this wicket. Rather, it is difficult to score runs on it, and we have to be more patient in the second innings,'' Vijay said.
When Mark Craig got the key wicket of Ajinkya Rahane, out bat-pad for 18 early into the final session, the momentum shifted definitively toward New Zealand.
Rohit Sharma and Ashwin shared a decent stand of 52 before Sharma was out for 35, lobbing Santner to Sodhi at mid-on.
Taking the second new ball, Boult took three wickets in nine balls. He bowled Wriddhiman Saha for a duck with an in-swinger and then got Ashwin to edge to gully for 40. Two overs later, he also clean bowled Mohammed Shami for a duck.
Jadeja on 16 not out, and Umesh Yadav on 8 survived to stumps.
