Having discovered India's weak nerve in the first Test, New Zealand Cricket Board has made a special request to prepare a pitch full of pace and bounce at the WestPac Park for the second Test starting on Thursday.
"They rang [up] on Sunday and told me to make something that was as fast and bouncy as possible," groundsman Doug Strachan said.
Strachan predicts a track with plenty of pace and bounce -- as has been the case in previous Tests in recent years at this venue -- that should delight the home seam attack and leave the tourists nervous following the Wellington debacle.
The only thing that might go against New Zealand's plans is weather as it rained heavily in the afternoon on Tuesday and more showers and thundershowers are predicted on the first two days of the Test.
But Strachan believes that even 2-3 days play should be enough to produce a result.
"The weather might prove a bit of a spoilsport but I hope even two and half days should be enough for a result to arrive in the second Test," he said. "The pitch will look green but I hope they [the Indians] don't get spooked by it. New Zealand has the psychological edge after Wellington but teams have proved it can be a very good batting track because of the pace and bounce."
New Zealand team manager Jeff Crowe felt that the pitch might also help the spinners if the weather held good and there is sunshine.
"This one here appears green but it is always a much harder surface underneath. There will be a lot more bounce and pace in the wicket. Depending on the overhead conditions, if we have this weather for next couple of days, it will certainly help the seam bowlers. But if we see some nice and fine conditions, the wicket might even offer some turn," Crowe said.
That has made New Zealand's top spinner Daniel Vettori, who didn't get a bowl in the first Test, hopeful that he would play a part in his team's attack in the second game.
"I want to take wickets and join in the fun. I'll definitely get a bowl at Hamilton. The wicket will be good and it's not bad to bowl spin on," said Vettori, who has taken 139 wickets from 42 Tests but for the first time in his career didn't bowl at all at Basin Reserve last week.
It's been a practice for a while for the New Zealand team to go around Wellington in a limousine after a win in which the bowlers sip champagne -- a practice started by Chris Cairns and Dion Nash.
"It was a great feeling to go out there and annihilate the star-studded line-up but it was a little hollow because most Tests we have won, I've made some contribution," Vettori said.
