India look to tighten their bowling at Hagley Oval after conceding 225 in the opener

India lead the series but return to Christchurch on Saturday with the bowling questions the first T20I left unanswered

India beat New Zealand by four wickets at Hagley Oval on Thursday, chasing 226 with two balls in hand. They did it after conceding 225 for 4, and they come back to the same square for the second match with the same attack and the same conditions to solve.

The five-match series stands at 1-0 and Mitchell Santner's side need a win to level it. India's bowlers went at more than 11 an over on Thursday and were bailed out by a chase that finished with two deliveries unused.

A total the ground does not usually produce

Hagley Oval has staged 20 men's T20 internationals. The average first-innings score there is 162 and the average second-innings score is 134, figures both sides left a long way behind in the opener.

New Zealand's 225 for 4 fell just short of the ground record of 236 for 4, set by England, and India's reply of 230 for 6 is now the highest successful chase made at the venue.

Little about the surface is expected to change in two days. The pitch is again rated as flat, with dew forecast to arrive in the second innings and make the ball harder to grip.

That combination has already removed the margin from one match. The two sides made 455 runs between them on Thursday, and the side that bowled first still won.

India's attack is without its first-choice seamer

Jasprit Bumrah is not in India's T20I squad for this tour. That leaves Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, Mayank Yadav and Prince Yadav as the seam options, alongside the spin of Axar Patel, Varun Chakaravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav.

India's breakthroughs on Thursday came from Mayank Yadav and Axar Patel, with New Zealand losing only four wickets in their 20 overs. The quicker bowlers were taken for runs in the powerplay and again at the death.

India's room to manoeuvre is therefore narrow. They can change the balance of the attack, bringing in a wrist-spinner or asking Shivam Dube for a few overs of seam, but the core of the attack is the one that was taken for a ground-record chase target two days earlier.

Kishan ruled out with an adductor strain

India will also be without Ishan Kishan, who was injured during the first match. The BCCI said he "is ruled out of the second T20I against New Zealand due to a low-grade right adductor strain".

No replacement has been added to the squad. Shivam Dube and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi are the two in line to fill the place, Dube offering a few overs of seam and Sooryavanshi a more aggressive top-order option.

The toss may decide it again

Of the 20 T20 internationals played at Hagley Oval, 11 have been won by the side bowling first. Shreyas Iyer chose to field on Thursday and India chased.

With dew expected once more, the captain who calls correctly is likely to make the same decision, which leaves whoever bats first defending a total on a surface that has already offered very little to the bowlers.

New Zealand see little reason to change

New Zealand are expected to keep the same side. Glenn Phillips was unbeaten on 82 from 40 balls with eight fours and three sixes, and Finn Allen made 45 from 24 at the top of the innings.

Santner removed Sanju Samson and Kishan in quick succession after Michael Bracewell had broken a 93-run opening stand, a passage that took India from 93 for 0 to 122 for 4.

It was still not enough. Naman Dhir finished unbeaten on 42 from 15 balls, and with three needed from the last four deliveries he hit Matt Henry over deep fine leg for six.

Santner's bowlers also gave away four wides inside the first five overs of the chase, and a dropped catch at long-on let Shreyas Iyer survive on 27 before he made 42 from 28.

The second T20I starts at 12.30pm IST on Saturday, with India looking to go 2-0 up and New Zealand looking to level the series.

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