Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja helped India end Day One of the third Test against South Africa on a high.
Ashwin had Stiaan van Zyl (0) caught by Ajinkya Rahane at first slip before Jadeja got past the defense of nightwatchman Imran Tahir (4) to have the visitors reeling at 11 for two.
Dean Elgar was unbeaten on seven, with captain Hashim Amla yet to open his account, as South Africa ended the day 204 runs behind.
Earlier, Virat Kohli won the toss and not surprisingly opted to bat first. However, after a bright start the home team's batting had collapsed.
Simon Harmer took four wickets as South Africa dismissed India for 215.
The off-spinner did most of the damage, claiming four wickets for 78 runs, while Morne Morkel took three for 35, as the hosts collapsed after the latter's three-wicket burst reduced them to 149 for six at tea.
F or India, Murali Vijay again played a good hand at the top, scoring 40, but the two most important innings came lower down the order.
Ravindra Jadeja played a positive knock of 34, while Wriddhiman Saha scored a patient 32, the duo putting on a good stand of 48 runs for the seventh wicket which helped India cross the 200-run mark.
Kohli's decision to bat first seemed a no-brainer, with the pitch expected to assist the slower bowlers.
The surface provided prodigious turn for the spinners from the first session of the match, which South Africa, currently the top-ranked Test team, need to win to level the four-match series.
India got off to a good start when openers Vijay (40) and Shikhar Dhawan (12) put on their second successive half century stand of the series.
But the loss of both the batsmen in the second hour before lunch, followed by a dramatic collapse after the break, left the hosts, who are leading 1-0 in the series, at a difficult 125 for six.
In the space of 15 overs after lunch, India lost four wickets for the addition of only 31 runs after being 85 for two.
Morkel and off-spinner Harmer did the most damage.
Morkel, lacking effective pace support at the other end in the absence of the injured Dale Steyn, was most impressive of the bowlers and his tea figures read three for 27.
Harmer, mostly bowling from around the wicket, also utilised the spin-friendly track well to have two for 65, while Elgar, the other wicket-taker, had figures of one for seven.
In the morning, Dhawan, denied strike for long, was lured out by Elgar soon after the 50 was raised in 13.4 overs and spooned a drive back to the left arm slow bowler, who accepted a return catch to his right.
The left-hander's 12 came off 23 balls; it was his third low score in the series. Dhawan's form, rather the lack of it, will be a big concern for the Indian think tank.
South Africa hit back strongly through Morkel in the first hour post lunch as the hosts lost Cheteshwar Pujara (21), captain Virat Kohli (22) and Ajinkya Rahane (13).
Morkel, who got rid of Vijay in the first session, added the wickets of Kohli and Rahane to his kitty in a fiery third spell of 4-2-8-2.
Pujara was taken out by off-spinner Harmer, who trapped him leg-before and later got rid of a struggling Rohit Sharma (2) as India slumped to 125 for 6 from 50 for no loss in 32.2 overs on either side of lunch.
Both sides went in with an extra spinner, India opting for leg-spinner Amit Mishra and South Africa adding off-spinner Harmer to their line-up.
The move has worked for both the teams no doubt.
However, even though only one day has been played, the result seems to be going the home side's way. It won't be a surprise if this Test turns out to be another three-day affair.
