AHMEDABAD, India (AP):

INDIA WERE bowled out in the opening session of a Test for the first time yesterday, dismissed for 76 in a woeful start to the second Test against South Africa.

India won the toss and chose to bat, but were back in the pavilion after just 20 overs, making it the shortest completed innings ever on the subcontinent. The meagre total was only one run higher than India's worst ever innings at home - 75 against the West Indies in 1987.

South Africa replied strongly to be 223-4 at stumps on day one. Already the tourists look unbeatable, as no team has won a Test after scoring under 100 in its first innings since 1907.

Jacques Kallis (60 not out) and A.B. de Villiers (59 not out) put on 106 runs in an unbroken fifth-wicket partnership, adding to a superb bowling performance by paceman Dale Steyn, who claimed 5-23.

Makhaya Ntini took three wickets from his first four overs and Steyn's searing pace ripped through the host's batting lineup.

This was India's second shortest Test innings, behind the 17-over dismissal by England at Lord's in 1974 when they were bowled out for 42. They also set a new mark for brevity on the subcontinent, with the previous shortest completed innings being Sri Lanka's 24.5 over effort against Pakistan in Kandy in 2006.

India's batsmen, who made 627 in their only innings of the drawn first Test last week, struggled when presented with a lively track after the batsmen's paradise of the series opener.

Ntini (3-18) made the first breakthrough as opener Wasim Jaffer (nine) edged an outswinger, offering a low catch to skipper Graeme Smith at first slip.

First Test triple century maker, Virender Sehwag (six) was bowled by Steyn before Ntini knocked back the stumps of V.V.S. Laxman (three) and Sourav Ganguly (0) in the space of three deliveries to have India tottering at 30-4. Laxman shouldered arms to an inswinger while Ganguly edged an in-cutter.

Rahul Dravid (three) held up his end for 51 minutes and featured in the innings' highest stand of 26 for the fifth wicket with Mahendra Dhoni (14) before he became the second of Steyn's victims, also playing a delivery on to the stumps.

Dhoni was then caught behind by Mark Boucher off Morne Morkel (2-20), who sent skipper Kumble back to the dressingroom without scoring two balls later.

Steyn claimed five wickets for the eighth time in his 23-Test career, also dismissing Harbhajan Singh (one), Rudra Pratap Singh (0) and Shantakumaran Sreesanth (0).

Having slumped to 56-8, India looked like falling short of their previous lowest total against South Africa of 66, before top-scorer Irfan Pathan (21 not out) put on 20 runs for the ninth wicket with Rudra Pratap Singh, who was among four batsmen scoring ducks.

In reply, South Africa's in-form openers Smith and Neil McKenzie put on 78, with Smith benefitting from a dropped catch by Ganguly at short-leg when he was on three.

South Africa surpassed India's total in just 88 balls before Sreesanth trapped Smith (34) lbw.

McKenzie's two-hour knock of 42 ended when he edged spinner Harbhajan Singh to Dravid in the slips.

Harbhajan Singh (3-49) went on to claim three wickets in four overs in a brief period of dominance by Indian bowlers, snaring Hashim Amla (16) and Ashwell Prince (two). Amla was caught by Jaffer at short-leg and Prince fell lbw.

Kallis and de Villiers reasserted South African control, with Kallis striking five fours and a six off 125 deliveries during his authoritative knock, while de Villier's 102-ball innings featured seven boundaries.