Pace bowler Ishant Sharma took his fifth five-wicket haul in tests to hobble New Zealand's first innings as the home side lurched to 166 for eight at tea on the first day of the second test in Wellinton on Friday.
Tim Southee was on 19 not out while Neil Wagner was on nought at the Basin Reserve.
Ishant had five for 44 off 15 overs for the visitors, having taken three wickets before lunch and then two more after.
Kane Williamson top-scored for the hosts with 47 before he was dismissed for the third time in the innings, caught low down in the slips by Rohit Sharma off Mohammed Shami.
He had been earlier given out twice, once to Zaheer Khan in the final over before lunch on 15 and then again on 23 when Cheteshwar Pujara took a good catch at forward short leg off Ishant during the afternoon session.
Both times, however, television replays showed the bowler had overstepped and Williamson was recalled.
Corey Anderson resumed after the break on nought and compiled 24 runs from three boundaries and a six before nicking an inside edge from a delivery that ballooned off his pad and went to Virat Kohli in the slips.
Wicketkeeper BJ Watling became Ishant's fifth victim when he nicked a good length delivery to Rohit Sharma in the slips before Williamson's luck ran out about half an hour before tea.
Shami then had debutant Jimmy Nessham caught by wicketkeeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni for 33 after an entertaining rearguard action in partnership with Williamson and Southee.
ISHANT STRIKE
India captain Dhoni had won his seventh successive toss on the tour of New Zealand and wasted little time in asking the hosts to bat on the green wicket.
While Rutherford and Fulton made a breezy start for New Zealand with seemingly little assistance for Zaheer Khan and Mohammed Shami, the introduction of Ishant changed the game as he bowled with hostility and forced the batsmen to play.
He made the breakthrough with a delivery that reared off a length and Hamish Rutherford gloved the ball to Murali Vijay at first slip for 12. Ishant then trapped Peter Fulton (13) in front.
Tom Latham was then given a torrid working over before he followed a delivery from Ishant and Dhoni took a simple catch to dismiss the debutant for a duck and leave the hosts floundering at 26 for three.
Their troubles deepened when McCullum was caught at mid-off when he drove at a full Mohammed Shami delivery and Ravindra Jadeja held a sharp catch.
Ishant went into lunch with figures of 3-14 off nine overs.
New Zealand had made two changes to their side that won the first match at Auckland's Eden Park by 40 runs last Sunday with Latham and Neesham brought in to make their test debut.
Both had played limited overs internationals for New Zealand.
India were unchanged from the side that almost produced a remarkable turnaround victory at Eden Park and must win the game to avoid losing a test series to New Zealand for the first time since 2002.
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