Ravindra Jadeja's five-for hands India the first Test

Ravindra Jadeja made the most of a spinner-friendly surface to claim five wickets to hand India a 108-run win over South Africa in the first Test in Mohali on Saturday.

The hosts began the third day of play with a comfortable 142-run lead. Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli added 66 runs for the third wicket. South Africa's bowlers struggled to find the momentum in the first session of the day, as India looked to build on their overnight lead.

The tourists finally made inroads in the 56th over and dismissed Kohli and Pujara in consecutive overs. India at that stage stood at 164 for four.

India's middle and lower order struggled to cope with the spinning ball, like Kohli and Pujara had done earlier. They lost the remaining six wickets for just 37 runs and managed just 200 in their second innings.

On a crumbling surface, South Africa's task of chasing a target of 200 was difficult. In fact, only twice had visiting teams chased 200 successfully in India, most recently in 1987-88. The Proteas needed to bat extremely well to add to that tally. They did not.

Jadeja struck in the second over of the innings to dismiss Vernon Philander. Faf du Plessis and Hashim Amla fell two-overs later.

India's spinners, Jadeja, Ashwin and Amit Mishra, made scoring freely on the surface seemingly impossible. Captain AB de Villiers' dismissal in the tenth over of the innings, for just 16, handed India the initiative.

Stiaan Van Zyl was South Africa's top scorer with 36, but apart from his effort, no other batsman contributed substantially in the chase. They managed just 109 in reply. Jadeja claimed five wickets, Ashwin three, while Mishra and Varoon Aaron one-wicket each.

"We played on turning tracks at Rajkot (in Ranji) so I had confidence about my bowling, I worked hard this season, I was bowling in the nets for hours, this was my comeback game I was looking to play positive, I scored three fifties in domestic as well, it has been a pressure game for me, I was trying to prove myself again, so I am really happy, Jadeja, the Man of the Match," said.