After toiling hard for more than an hour and facing as much as 42 balls, Vijay nicked a Morne Morkel delivery to keeper AB de Villiers and left India at 24/2 in 15.1 overs.
India got off to a bad start as Dale Steyn had Dhawan caught by Imran Tahir at fine leg in the ninth over.
Steyn gave the hosts the breakthrough after MS Dhoni won the toss in his 50th Test as Indian captain and chose to bat.
India are playing with three fast bowlers, Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma and Mohammed Shami. Ajinkya Rahane to bat at number six for India. Surprise exclusions of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Ravindra Jadeja.
The pitch looks to be a good one with even covering of grass. It will get quicker as the match progress. The bowlers will get good carry, there are some cracks but nothing to worry on the first day, not much spin on offer, the batsmen will have to work hard for their runs.
The hosts start as firm favorites with their settled line up, India are traveling without their legends for the first time in 24 years. With a young team, the visitors have a tough task to compete well in the series. They will take some solace from the fact that India have not lost a Test at the Wanderers.
They have been mauled in the ODI series, not a ball could be bowled in the practice game, and the South African pacemen are breathing fire.
The Indian middle-order is thoroughly inexperienced and queries about the replacement for the No. 4 slot are still going unanswered.
Despite the conditions, India haven't done too badly at the Wanderers, winning a Test here in 2006.
India will be aiming to start the post-Sachin Tendulkar era in Test cricket on a positive note but the task looks daunting as they would be up against the world's number one side.
This is India's first overseas Test in nearly two years, since their tour to Australia in 2011-12.
In 12 Tests at home thereafter, India won nine, lost two and drew one, winning series against New Zealand, Australia and West Indies.
In their last Test series versus Pakistan, played in the UAE, South Africa gave away an advantage losing the first Test and leaving a lot to be done in the second, which they duly won.
Teams:
India: MS Dhoni (Capt.), Murali Vijay, Shikhar Dhawan, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, R Ashwin, Ishant Sharma, Zaheer Khan, Mohammed Shami.
South Africa: Graeme Smith (Capt.), Alviro Petersen, Hashim Amla, Jacques Kallis, AB de Villiers, Faf du Plessis, JP Duminy, Vernon Philander, Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel, Imran Tahir.
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