Play the short ball well and India should be alright in this one-day international series against New Zealand. But if MS Dhoni and co. continue in the same vein like in the first ODI, where four of their batsmen fell to the shot delivery, then India will be in some trouble.
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The match is scheduled for a 2 pm local time (6.30 am IST) start with live coverage on Sony Six and Sony Six HD in India. The match can also watched via free live streaming online in India HERE. Catch the action in the US HERE, while Africa viewers can do the same HERE. Viewers in the UK can live stream the match HERE.
For all of Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni's heroics, when they nearly pulled India out of seriously troubled waters, what could not be masked in the first ODI in Napier, a 24-run loss, was the away side's serious susceptibility to some hostile fast bowling.
South Africa showed the chinks in India's ODI batting armour in the previous tour, and Sunday's match showed there is still plenty of work to be done - especially in India's blink-and-they-are-out middle order, which will again be put to the test in the 2nd ODI at Seddon Park in Hamilton.
"So far we have not got consistent runs from the No. 4 and No. 5 batsmen, and even if you don't look at big hundreds or fifties, even then those slots are crucial," skipper Dhoni said in defence of his middle order, after Suresh Raina failed yet again, while Ajinkya Rahane, at No. 4, could not score more than seven runs during a crucial phase of play.
"If the opposition has batted well, they will score 280-300. And then if you lose early wickets most of the time we are doing catching up, trying to build a partnership but then the run-rate goes up, so lower-middle order comes under pressure. Yes, we are missing consistency but if they counter-attack they will come good soon in the future matches."
India have started to rely a little too heavily on Kohli to put up the big runs, while Dhoni, as always, is expected to take the side home, be it while chasing or in an attempt to post a good first innings score.
Neither Shikhar Dhawan, nor Rohit Sharma have done anything of note in the two tours abroad so far, and after both the openers were caught out playing the pull shot, questions have been inevitably raised over their abilities to perform consistently at the top.
"One of the options is to not to play the [pull] shot but our strength has been to play the shot," Dhoni said. "At times we will get caught because it is a difficult shot to play. But most of our batsmen like to play it since this is our strength.
"Especially overseas, we need to play and master it because you cannot have bowlers bowl short to you always. With two bouncers allowed you cannot leave all -- nearly 80 balls with four fast bowlers out of 50 overs. We can always pick and choose when to play and when not to play."
For New Zealand, it will be the same plan again - come as hard as possible at India, especially with their fast bowlers, while ensuring there are enough runs on the board for the pacers to play with.
Mitchell McClenaghan, who with 47 wickets could become the second fastest to 50 in just his 20th game, turned the match around for the Kiwis in the first ODI, picking up three vital wickets, including Kohli and Dhoni, to guide his side to an eventually comfortable win.
"He does keep producing the results," New Zealand skipper Brendon McCullum said of his fast bowler. "I think we bounced out four guys today which is great. That's the plan we wanted to implement and Mitch was a big part of that as well.
"He does keep producing at key times for us and I can't stress the importance of it. He is going to travel at times, but as long as he is trying to perform in the manner that we have picked him for, then we are happy and he has to ride that wave because he has the handy knack of picking up wickets at key times."
The onus will be on those fast bowlers yet again for the Kiwis, but most of the pressure will be on the batsmen in blue, and just how they weather another short pitch storm.
Team news: New Zealand: Express fast bowler Adam Milne has been ruled out of the rest of the series with a side strain, with Hamish Bennett called up as a replacement. Milne's injury is likely to give Kyle Mills a chance to shine in the first XI.
India: R Ashwin has picked up just one wicket in his last 80 overs in international cricket. The off-spinner has some serious problems in effectiveness when it comes to pitches overseas, and it remains to be seen whether Dhoni might consider giving Stuart Binny his debut.
Binny is a good finisher and can roll his arm over, especially in seamer-friendly conditions, and giving the Karnataka all-rounder an opportunity might not be such a bad idea - unlikely, though, it might be.
Raina will be wondering if he will get the axe for the second ODI, after another sub-par performance with the bat, with Ambati Rayudu waiting in the wings, while Ishant Sharma could also lose his place in the starting XI. Varun Aaron and Ishwar Pandey are the alternatives available for Dhoni and both the pacers will be chomping at the bit for an opportunity.
Expected lineups: New Zealand: Martin Guptill, Jesse Ryder, Kane Williamson, Ross Taylor, Brendon McCullum (capt), Corey Anderson, Luke Ronchi, Nathan McCullum, Tim Southee, Kyle Mills, Mitchell McClenaghan.
India: Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni, Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami.
