Spinner Mitchell Santner put New Zealand on the brink of their first Test series win in India, reducing the hosts to 178 for seven at tea in a chase of 359 on Saturday.

Santner, who took 7-53 in India’s first innings of 156, rattled the Indian batting with five wickets on day three of the second Test on a comeback ground in Pune.

Ravindra Jadeja, on four, and Ravichandran Ashwin, on nine, batted at the break as India suffered their first Test series defeat at home since December 2012.

India bowled out New Zealand for 255 in the first hour of play and opener Yashasvi Jaiswal in 77 off 65 balls came out on the attack to raise hopes of a miracle.

India lost skipper Rohit Sharma for eight but reached 81-1 at lunch in 12 overs.

Santner bowled Shubman Gill for 23 shortly after the break to end a 62-run second-wicket stand with left-hander Jaiswal, who started after reaching his fifty.

The in-form spinner eventually caught Jaiswal at slip, ran out Rishabh Pant for a duck and trapped Virat Kohli lbw, curtailing India’s chances.

Glenn Phillips chipped in with the wicket of Washington Sundar for 21.

India’s highest Test score at home was 387 against England at Chennai in 2008.

New Zealand lead the three-match series 1-0 after winning the opener – their first Test win on Indian soil since 1988.

Indian spinners Sundar and Jadeja shared seven wickets between them in the second innings, with Jadeja claiming three of the five to fall on Saturday morning.

INDIA: Rohit Sharma (capt), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Sarfaraz Khan, Rishabh Pant (wkt), Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Ravichandran Ashwin, Akash Deep, Jasprit Bumrah

NEW ZEALAND: Tom Latham (capt), Devon Conway, Will Young, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Blundell (wkt), Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Ajaz Patel, William O’Rourke