India 'A' failed to build on Piyush Chawla's brilliant leg-spin bowling as they slumped to 209 for 6 in the first innings against New Zealand 'A' in a four-day match of the Top End series in Darwin on Wednesday.
Chawla picked five wickets for 86 runs to restrict the Kiwis to 332, but the Indian top order frittered away the advantage, as the first four wickets fell for 47 runs, at the Gardens Oval.
At stumps on the second day, Rohit Sharma and Tejinder Pal Singh were unbeaten on 41 each.
The New Zealanders owed their total to Test batsman Craig McMillan, who scored 108.
McMillan dominated a 55-run stand with Gareth Hopkins (17) and lifted the Kiwis from 257 for 5 to 312 before being run-out.
India picked the last five wickets for 20 runs, with Chawla, who had grabbed two top order wickets on Tuesday, claiming Hopkins and the last two batsmen, Jeetan Patel and Hamish Bennett.
The Indian reply began on a wrong note, as Shikhar Dhawan (4) and Cheteshwar Pujara (6) fell with only seven on the board.
Parthiv Patel scored a breezy 35 before two more wickets fell at 47.
S Badrinath, top scorer so far with 55, then raised the Indian 100 through a 53-run partnership with Reetinder Singh Sodhi (23) before falling leg before to Chris Martin.
Martin also claimed Sodhi for figures of 2-59.
T P Singh and Rohit Sharma, however, prevented further damage and have so far added 67 runs for the seventh wicket.
