Welcome to the coverage of the second T20 International between New Zealand and India at Hagley Oval in Christchurch on Saturday.
The rescue act by the batters was impressive in the series opener, but India's bowling attack needs to find its rhythm and figure out a way to contain a rather destructive New Zealand in the second T20I.
As has been the case of late, the batters saved the day for India after the bowlers endured another ordinary outing.
The record chase of 226 gave the visiting team a crucial 1-0 lead but it also highlighted frailties that can cost the side heavily in the remainder of the five-match series.
The fifth and sixth bowling options have been a concern for India with the all-rounders not yet doing justice to those roles in the absence of an injury-prone Hardik Pandya.
On Thursday, Nitish Reddy went wicket-less and leaked 40 runs in his four overs while Naman Dhir did not get to bowl before he produced a match-winning effort with the bat.
To compound India's bowling woes, front-line bowlers too were at the receiving end in the series-opener.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar, bowling in his first India game in nearly four years, was not at his sharpest and leaked 49 runs in his full quota of overs.
His two no-balls and as many wides suggested that he needs more time to get up to speed.
Finn Allen and his fellow opener Tim Seifert were able to pick Bhuvneshwar and Arshdeep for boundaries at will in the powerplay, putting the seasoned duo under immense pressure.
Like on Thursday night, the conditions are expected to be ideal for batting, leaving the bowlers with very little room for error. Axar Patel, too, would be under pressure, having leaked the most runs for India in the first T20.
