Prince shared a defiant 94 with Herschelle Gibbs in 24.5 overs

Ashwell Prince hit a tenacious unbeaten 98 as South Africa recovered to 257-8 on day one of the second Test.

Graeme Smith fell to an injudicious pull in the third over, as India reduced the hosts to 28-3 before lunch.

Herschelle Gibbs hit 13 fours in 63 off 88 balls, sharing 94 with Prince, who came to the crease in the 13th over.

Evergreen spinner Anil Kumble struck with two googlies in an over and Prince was left two short of his fifth Test century when bad light ended play.

The day began badly for the home side when Jacques Kallis was ruled out after feeling shooting pain in his spine.

Dale Steyn was also missing after failing a fitness test on his thigh, with Andrew Hall and debutant Morne Morkel coming into the side.

India were unchanged from the side that won the opening Test in Johannesburg.

In sunny conditions, Smith attempted to give the innings some early impetus but chose the wrong delivery to pull and top-edged high over his head, Sachin Tendulkar running back from first slip to take the catch at a short fine-leg.

Hashim Amla, who made nought in the first Test, lasted nine balls for a single before playing across the line at Zaheer and making no contact.

Shanthakumaran Sreesanth was rewarded for some impressive swing and seam movement when AB de Villiers gave a far more routine catch to Tendulkar at slip.

Gibbs made his first fifty of the series but fell to a fine catch

Gibbs, in the pivotal number four position vacated by Kallis, had recorded his 23rd Test fifty when he too departed to a stroke that would not have been well received in the MCC coaching school.

The attacking batsman, who bagged a pair in the first Test, attempted to pull one too wide of off-stump and skewed a chance that was brilliantly snaffled low to his right by keeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

Prince, dismissed for 97 in the previous match at Johannesburg, had made 41 when he edged VRV Singh just short of Tendulkar at slip.

The India batting hero left the field for x-rays which showed severe bruising to his right thumb, and he is not expected to field for the remainder of the innings.

Mark Boucher had a moment of fortune on 16 when he appeared to be trapped in front by Singh, who took out some of his frustration at having the appeal rejected by striking the obdurate keeper in the chest with a bouncer.

Boucher remained in typically defiant fashion, taking two fours in three balls off the burly seamer, and extended the partnership with Prince to 43 at the tea break.

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After the interval he saw two stumps uprooted when a good one from Sreesanth nipped back in between bat and pad.

Shaun Pollock looked set for another cavalier innings, carving successive boundaries off Singh, but next ball he drove fiercely square of the wicket and was sharply caught by Virender Sehwag.

Kumble, not renowned for his prodigious turn, moved two perfectly directed googlies back into the batsmen to tip the balance firmly India's way.