MOHALI: Ravichandran Ashwin picked up his 13th fifth-wicket haul, and India's spinners shared all 10 South African first-innings wickets, as the hosts took a slender lead on the second day of the opening test on Friday.

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• India left in a spin by part-time bowler Elgar

AB de Villiers struggled initially but made a swashbuckling 63 off 83 balls as the touring side were all out for 184, conceding a first-innings lead of 17.

Left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja, returning to the test team for the first time in almost 15 months, took three wickets while leg-spinner Amit Mishra picked up the other two.

India captain Virat Kohli opted not to open with Ashwin and Jadeja, who looked the most likely to pick up wickets on a Mohali pitch offering plenty of assistance to the spin bowlers, but soon found success once he did turn to them.

Elgar survived some nervous moments until he attempted a rash slog-sweep against Ashwin, with the ball taking a top edge and falling into the hands of Jadeja at short third man.

Amla looked unperturbed and displayed a solid technique against the Indian slow bowlers before he fell in a freakish way to the off-spinner.

The right-hander danced down the track but missed the ball, which hit wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha's chest to drop on the off-stump with Amla short of his crease.

Ashwin also dismissed wicketkeeper Dane Vilas (1) in the same over for his fourth wicket, after the batsman top-edged a sweep for Jadeja to complete a tumbling catch at short fine leg.

De Villiers survived a confident appeal for caught behind off Jadeja before he had opened his account and after a few more loud leg before appeals against him were turned down, the 31-year-old finally edged the left-arm spinner to Kohli.

However, he was given not out after replays showed the bowler had marginally overstepped during the delivery.

De Villiers then went on the attack and completed his 37th fifty in tests before getting bowled by a beautiful delivery from Mishra.