India raced to 119-1 to give some context to England's 246 all out on an action-packed first day of the first Test in Hyderabad.
After winning a crucial toss on a pitch already offering so much to the spinners, the tourists found themselves 60-3 and 137-6.
But captain Ben Stokes, playing for the first time since having knee surgery in November, made a superb 70 to marshal the tail.
Stokes, who lofted three sixes, shared 38 with debutant Tom Hartley and 41 with Mark Wood as England added 109 for their last four wickets. Eight wickets fell to spin, including three each for Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja.
England appeared to be in the game, only for India opener Yashasvi Jaiswal to make light of the conditions. He dished out some particularly brutal treatment to left-arm spinner Hartley, whose first ball in Test cricket was belted for six.
Jaiswal raced to a half-century from 47 balls, adding 80 for the first wicket with captain Rohit Sharma in 12 overs, before the skipper skied Jack Leach to Stokes at mid-on.
Left-hander Jaiswal ended on 76 not out to leave India 127 behind at the close. Hartley conceded an eye-watering 63 from only nine overs and England have already burned all three of their reviews.
Hyderabad lives up to the hype
This was a compelling first day, one that lived up to all of the pre-series hype. Though it followed the pattern of England's previous battles against spin in this country, the way the tourists looked to counter both the conditions and India's skilful bowlers was utterly riveting and lapped up by a noisy crowd.
For all the talk of spin - both teams have picked three spinners - India swung the new ball but used it poorly. England had added 41 in eight overs before a frustrated Rohit called on his slow bowlers and the complexion of the game changed.
Through a combination of loose shots, superb bowling and some marginal decisions, England went through spells of losing 3-5 and then 3-16 to be in danger of subsiding, before Stokes played another of his back-to-the-wall specials.
Given the pitch, England's total felt competitive - it was higher than seven of the eight totals they made here three years ago - yet Jaiswal immediately showed his intent in the second over by belting Hartley over the leg side.
Even in these conditions, the debate will be whether England were right to pick three spinners, especially two as inexperienced as Hartley and 19-year-old Rehan Ahmed. Yes, the surface is helpful, but are these bowlers good enough to exploit it?
The answer is still to be revealed, though the early signs are not good. In theory, England have the advantage of bowling last - if India let them.
Super Stokes keeps England competitive
When Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley were tucking into some wayward new-ball bowling from Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj, it looked as though England's 'Bazball' tactics would overwhelm India in the way they have done so many other opponents.
But England have not encountered anything like these conditions since Stokes became captain and, by the end, their run-rate of 3.81 was the third slowest in a first innings of his 19 Tests since taking charge.
Duckett was lbw to Ashwin - the fourth time in as many innings the off-spinner has dismissed the left-hander in Tests - a skittish Ollie Pope edged to slip and Crawley loosely chipped to mid-off.
Though Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow were composed in a stand of 61, the latter was bowled by a trimmer from left-arm spinner Axar Patel, while Root top-edged a sweep and the recalled Ben Foakes tentatively edged to slip.
At this point, Stokes had only eight, but found plenty of willing allies in the lower order. Hartley was enterprising for his 23, including a six, and it was after he was bowled by Jadeja that Stokes cut loose.
Taking advantage of being dropped by wicketkeeper KS Bharat on 44, he took 42 runs from the last 29 balls he faced before being dismissed, including back-to-back sixes off Jadeja to pass 50.
Even with last-man Leach for company there was still time for another straight six until he was bowled advancing at Bumrah, who produced a beauty that jagged to hit middle stump.
India make early statement of intent
India have a formidable home record, with no series defeats since 2012. Without key figures Virat Kohli, Mohammed Shami and Rishabh Pant, they still showed England the size of the task that awaits them over these five Tests.
The spin trio were irresistible. Axar and Ashwin were deadly accurate to exploit the conditions and although Jadeja went at nearly five an over, he got extra bounce to claim the crucial wicket of Root. When the spinners were not in the attack, Bumrah found vicious bite from the surface.
But the most chastening element of the day for England was the way Jaiswal led the assault with the bat, especially against Hartley, who became the first England spinner to open the bowling on Test debut since 1921.
After his slog sweep to Hartley's first ball, Jaiswal repeated the shot for another six in the same over, then settled into lovely strokes through the off side. Too often Hartley lost his length and a nine-over opening spell felt too long and a mis-step from Stokes.
Leach at least forced Rohit to miscue to Stokes, after which Ahmed was introduced. The leg-spinner was given similar treatment to Hartley, going for 22 from his three overs.
