New Zealand, sent in to bat, have crept to 3-54 at lunch on day one of the first cricket Test against India in Auckland.

Indian skipper MS Dhoni, after winning the toss, opted to bowl on an Eden Park pitch with a green tinge and in overcast conditions.

His decision was rewarded with Black Cap openers Hamish Rutherford and Peter Fulton, and danger man Ross Taylor dismissed in the opening session.

Taylor’s was a particularly prized scalp, after his recent run of three Test centuries against the West Indies and two tons in the one-dayers against India.

The right-hander got to three before he lofted a delivery from seamer Ishant Sharma to mid-off to leave the home side at 3-30.

On a cold and windy morning, New Zealand lost their first wicket when Rutherford fell to a spectacular catch in the gully.

Sharma claimed his 150th Test scalp after Rutherford got a thick edge and a diving Ajinkya Rahane completed the dismissal.

Shortly after, Fulton fell lbw to the experienced Zaheer Khan for 13 to leave the Black Caps at 2-23.

Fulton had earlier survived two scares.

On one, he edged Khan’s first delivery, but a diving Shikhar Dhawan dropped the chance in the slips.

Having got to 12, Fulton was given not-out after a big leg-before shout from seamer Mohammed Shami, with replays showing the ball would have hit middle stump.

Play started 15 minutes late because of bad light and a light drizzle.

When the toss was made, Black Caps captain Brendon McCullum continued his recent run of outs with the flip of the coin.

He lost all five against the tourists in the one-day series, which New Zealand won 4-0 with one tie.

McCullum’s toss record in Tests is now five successes in 14.