The Black Caps reached 3-180 when bad light stopped play at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.Â
Opener Devon Conway led the way with 91 runs off 105 balls. Rachin Ravindra (22) and Daryl Mitchell (14) were unbeaten at stumps on day two of the first Test.
This was after fast bowler Matt Henry grabbed 5-15 to blow away India for just 46. Young pacer William O'Rourke took 4-22. Pacer Tim Southee took the other wicket, the first to fall, when he bowled captain Rohit Sharma.
India had five ducks in their innings - including star Virat Kohli - to equall their second most zeros in a Test innings. That was all under dark skies with the stadium lights on.
But as soon as India were all out in 32 overs, the sun came out and the pitch flattened.
New Zealand overhauled India's total in a jiffy as Conway and skipper Tom Latham (15) put on 67 runs for the first wicket.
Left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav trapped Latham before the Kiwis went to tea at 1-82.
In the final session, the visitors drove home their advantage with Conway scoring 50 off 54 balls. He put on 75 runs for the second wicket with Will Young, who scored 33.
Young attacked India's spinners and he hit five boundaries before being out caught off Ravindra Jadeja.
All three India spinners were among the wickets when Ravichandran Ashwin bowled Conway short of his century.
New Zealand were down to 4-53 after losing two wickets in 16 deliveries but Ravindra and Mitchell defied India's desperate search for a comeback.
Earlier, India collapsed to their third lowest Test score, after 36 all out against Australia in Adelaide in 2020 and 42 all out against England at Lord's in 1974.
For New Zealand, Henry became the third fastest bowler to 100 Test wickets, in 26 innings, one short of Richard Hadlee's record of 25.
After the first day was washed out, India were a stunning 34-6 by lunch.
Sharma, who won the toss and decided to bat, was out for 2 in the seventh over. Kohli, caught by Glenn Phillips off the bowling of O'Rourke, was out two overs later at 9-2.
Sarfaraz Khan also left the field without scoring in the next over, at 10-3. After another rain delay at 3-13, India lost three more wickets before lunch.
Post lunch, Henry dismissed Ravichandran Ashwin on the first ball. Then Rishabh Pant, top-scoring with 20 runs, was out caught, again off Henry.
Henry completed his fiver for the fourth-best haul for a New Zealand pacer in India, to reduce the home side to 9-40.
The innings ended at 46, the lowest Test total in Asia, surpassing 53 by West Indies against Pakistan in 1986 and 59 by Pakistan against Australia in 2002.
India's previous lowest home total was 75 in 1987 against the West Indies in New Delhi.
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