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Daniel Vettori. Photo / Getty Images

It was a vintage Black Caps batting collapse. Five wickets fell for 51 runs, the top order was shredded and thoughts of a first test series win in India looked far-fetched.

If New Zealand were going to have a decent chance of winning just their third test in India, it seemed the toss to win. Captain Daniel Vettori successfully called "heads" and the batsmen went looking for their pads, knowing that by bowling last, they had probably blunted the threat of facing India's spinners on a crumbling fifth day wicket.

They didn't need to wait for any spinners. India's pacemen had New Zealand scrambling - undoing much of the graft from the first two drawn tests.

The Black Caps' two walking wounded, Jesse Ryder and Brendon McCullum, provided some respectability later in the day. The limited overs opening pair came together at 82-6 and put on 42 for the seventh wicket. Ryder's 59 means he has made a half-century or better five times in nine innings against India. McCullum was 34 not out when bad light stopped play after 56 of the scheduled 70 overs with the Black Caps 148-7. Tim Southee was unbeaten on seven.

McCullum was not one of those batsmen initially reaching into his cricket coffin for gear after the decision to bat, despite his double hundred in Hyderabad. He strained his back taking warm-up catches and forfeited his coveted opening spot. When he eventually came in at eight he was not able to use a runner because the injury occurred before he took the field, a topic sure to generate debate as he maintained his unblemished record of 55 consecutive tests.

To add to the woe, Ryder strained the same calf muscle that affected him during his century at Ahmedabad. He was ineligible for a runner, too.

In the opening session, Shanthakumaran Sreesanth was as difficult to play as his name is to pronounce. He strode in looking like a hybrid between Dennis Lillee (circa the headband period) and Michael Jackson (circa the Thriller album).

The meagre crowd certainly got a thrill. He took a while to get his rhythm - Tim McIntosh didn't have to play in the first over - but before long, he was penetrative and demanding, pitching the ball just short of a good length and using his pace to wreak havoc. In Michael Jackson parlance, he was Bad.

Martin Guptill, who had been called up to open, was the first to sample his venom.

After a princely square cut early, he struggled with a Sreesanth leg-cutter to start the seventh over. It deviated a touch off the seam and presented Mahendra Singh Dhoni with a regulation catch.

It continued Guptill's struggle against the brand new ball in tests, dismissed for six. It drops his average to 23 opening in nine tests out of his 13. In the other four, batting further down the order, he averages 57.37.

Second test centurion Tim McIntosh initially seemed better organised against Sreesanth and Ishant Sharma's consistent pace. Deliveries hovered in the late 130km/h region for the most part but it surprised that Dhoni did not put more men around the bat to capitalise on New Zealand's vulnerable position.

At 16-1 and McIntosh on four, he got a scorching off-cutter from Sreesanth - this time between bat and pad. It sent his stump cartwheeling towards fine leg. The photographers would have loved that.

Sharma was sound as he returned from a knee problem to replace Zaheer Khan with his groin injury. He was less demanding than his new ball counterpart to start, but was not to be outdone. He trapped Ross Taylor lbw for 20 then got Vettori swishing at a short, loose ball outside the off stump which he played on for three. Kane Williamson fell just prior to Vettori for a duck, driving a ball in the air to Virender Sehwag at short cover off Pragyan Ojha. Ojha also had Gareth Hopkins caught for six as fielders encroached around the bat.

The start of the match was delayed. The entire first session was sacrificed because of two torrential downpours on Friday afternoon. The day's required overs were reduced to 70 due to a damp outfield.

Officials looked to make up time later in the day. Further rain is expected over the next four days.

Andy McKay debuted for the Black Caps, replacing Brent Arnel. There was no place in the starting XI for Jeetan Patel, despite the expectation the pitch might take turn later in the match. That means more responsibility for Vettori and possibly Williamson.