South Africa stumble

Ishant Sharma bowls Hashim Amla as India mount a fightback © Getty Images

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India's bowlers hit back after South Africa had made a promising start to the third Test in Kanpur to skittle the tourists for 265.

Openers Neil McKenzie and Graeme Smith provided a solid foundation for the Proteas and Hashim Amla also did his bit with a half-century.

South Africa were 152 for one midway through the afternoon session before India hit back with three wickets - Smith, Amla and Jacques Kallis - for the loss of just nine runs to spark a lower-order collapse.

Harbhajan Singh and Ishant Sharma finished with three wickets apiece, while Piyush Chawla claimed two.

Teenager Chawla was included in the India line-up for only his second Test after captain and fellow leg-spinner Anil Kumble failed a late fitness test on a groin injury.

The absence of Kumble - missing his first Test since 2003 - allowed Mahendra Singh Dhoni to become the first wicketkeeper-captain of India.

Smith - seeking to break Hansie Cronje's South Africa record of 27 Test wins as captain - won the toss and elected to bat first on a pitch described as "a shocker" by his coach Mickey Arthur.

The Proteas scored freely early on, forcing Dhoni to turn to the spin of Harbhajan in the ninth over.

He failed to find the breakthrough but Chawla, introduced in the 18th over, struck with his fifth delivery when he had McKenzie stumped for 36.

Amla and Smith steered the tourists to lunch without further loss, and the latter registered his 22nd Test half-century, off 96 balls, after the interval.

Yuvraj Singh finally had Smith caught at short-leg for 69, and Amla soon followed suit – bowled off his pads by Sharma, but not before recording his eighth Test fifty.

In the next over Harbhajan picked up the prize scalp of Jacques Kallis, bowled via an inside edge for one.

Chawla was struck in his first over after tea when he had AB de Villiers caught at midwicket by Sourav Ganguly for 25, and Ashwell Prince battled his way to 16 before being trapped lbw by Virender Sehwag from around the wicket.

Harbhajan induced a top edge from Morne Morkel, Mark Boucher was undone by a ball from Sharma that kept low, and Dale Steyn’s reverse sweep off Harbhajan found only substitute fielder Mohammad Kaif at first slip.

Ishant wrapped up proceedings by bowling Paul Harris through the gate for 12.