Seamers Shanthakumaran Sreesanth and Ishant Sharma and left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha picked up two wickets each to reduce New Zealand to 148 for seven at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium.
Brendon McCullum (34) and Tim Southee (7) were at the crease at the close of the shortened day, marred by a wet outfield that delayed the start of play in the third test — the first two were drawn — by three hours.
Martin Guptill edged a beautiful outswinger from Sreesanth to India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni behind the stumps, while fellow opener Tim McIntosh was late on another swinging delivery from the paceman to find his stumps uprooted.
Sharma then removed Ross Taylor leg before and Vettori played on to a short delivery to compound New Zealand’s miseries.
Left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha dismissed Kane Williamson, who scooped one straight to Virender Sehwag at short cover, and Gareth Hopkins, who was smartly caught by Suresh Raina at slips.
Jesse Ryder (59), who limped throughout his innings after aggravating a calf injury, added a crucial 42 runs for the seventh wicket with McCullum.
Raina took another low catch at covers to get rid of Ryder, who tried to go hard at offspinner Harbhajan Singh.
The visitors gambled by including McCullum, who injured himself during his warm-up, hoping that the last test’s double centurion could bat in the middle order.
McCullum, who had opened in the last two matches, walked in at number eight and New Zealand’s hopes for a sizeable first-innings total will firmly rest on him.
