Cricket: Huge task ahead for struggling home side

In form offspinner Jeetan Patel is likely to be brought in to sharpen New Zealand’s bowling attack against India. Photo / Getty Images

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New Zealand did only three things wrong in losing the first test to India - they didn't bat long enough, bowl consistently well enough, and fielded poorly.

Fix those and they're in business in the second test starting in Napier today. It's easy when you say it quickly, but India will have something to say about it.

The tourists arrived in Napier only yesterday afternoon, which might suggest a hint of arrogance, but they are on a roll and can do what they like right now.

Their 10-wicket win in Hamilton, on the back of strong batting and fine offspin bowling from Harbhajan Singh on the fourth day, did for New Zealand.

The hosts have a huge task if they are to win on a McLean Park pitch which, despite plenty of talk about problems in preparation, still looked full of runs yesterday.

Groundsman Phil Stoyanoff rapped his knuckles on his 20m long pride and joy yesterday and it gave off a resounding clunk. Stoyanoff's florid complexion was not entirely due to the cloudless sky in the Bay yesterday.

He's toey at criticisms of the state of the pitch, which was moved sideways to a more suitable strip a few days ago due to what he called "high intensity use" on the block this season.

The strip is not as consistently well grassed as it can be - in New Zealand captain Dan Vettori's words, "not as pretty as it usually is" - but still looks a tough proposition for the bowlers.

Vettori yesterday reckoned his team have not come to grips with the requirements of test cricket; that is, one or two good sessions might be fine in a one-dayer, but won't cut it in the hardest form of the game.

"The longevity of the test match game is what's catching us out.

"We do things well for maybe a session or two, but we're not doing it well enough for four or five and that is with bat, ball and fielding. That's what good teams do, and that's what India did in the last test.

"And if we don't do that we will get the same result we did in Hamilton."

India's performance provided something of a template for New Zealand to work from.

"Everything they did, they did really well. They played to a plan and won every key moment. Every element that we weren't good at, they were great," Vettori said.

No 3 batsman Daniel Flynn will have a rigorous fitness test this morning on his heavily bruised hand.

Jamie How is on standby. Flynn is a combative little lefthander - Vettori quipped that "he probably lied to me about how sore it is" such is his determination to play - but his captain won't take any chances.

New Zealand are likely to bring offspinner Jeetan Patel into the XI this morning, in place of Kyle Mills, giving New Zealand three fast-medium bowlers and two spinners.

Patel took five wickets in the second West Indies innings of the test here in December and showed he's in form with five in an innings in Wellington's State Championship match against Otago last week.

For those who believe Indian batsmen play offspin with a toothpick there are two thoughts: Australian Jason Krejza took eight Indian wickets on debut in Nagpur four months ago and 12 in the match. They cost a packet and Nagpur is not Napier, but he showed attacking offspin could win.

And secondly, the onus is on New Zealand to try something different after being flogged in the first test.

India's lineup is unchanged from Hamilton.