Dean Elgar puts South Africa in command on day one

Dean Elgar, better known for his batting exploits, starred with the ball - by picking up four wickets - for South Africa in the first Test against India being played in Mohali on Thursday.

The hosts won the toss and opted to bat first on an easy-paced surface to bat on. They lost opened Shikhar Dhawan in the second over of the match for zero.

Cheteshwar Pujara and Murali Vijay restored some order and added 61 with six overs to go for lunch. But in that short span, part-time spinner Dean Elgar removed Pujara and debutant Kagiso Rabada bagged Virat Kohli for 1 to leave South Africa the happier team at lunch.

Ajinkya Rahane joined Vijay and the duo added 37 runs for the fourth wicket; but just when India looked to capitalize with two-set batsmen, Elgar stuck again.

This time, he drew Rahane to an expansive drive that induced the outside edge and was easily caught at first slip. He followed that up, the very next delivery, with a loopy offspinner that gripped the pitch and caught the outside edge of wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha's bat, to dismiss him for zero.

Elgar, known for dismissing the likes of Misbah-ul-haq and Steven Smith in earlier series, was now on a hat-trick. Vijay and Ravindra Jadeja managed to steer clear of being victims of Elgar's hat-trick.

But India at that point struggled at 102 for five. Vijay finally fell in the 47th over for a well-made 75. His dismissal added to his side's woes, as Elgar returned to pick up the wicket of Amit Mishra, before Imran Tahir cleaned up India's tail to restrict the hosts to just 201 in their first innings.

India's spinners, R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, made the most of the assistance the pitch had to offer and troubled their opposition. Ashwin took the new ball and dismissed opener Stiaan van Zyl in the seventh over for just five.

Jadeja added to the tally an over later, when Faf du Plessis misjudged a delivery that was pitched up and left it, only to have it rattle the off stump. A disciplined display with the ball, by the hosts, ensured that the visitors ended day one, 28 for two, still 173 runs adrift from India's first-innings total.