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Cape Town - Recent Test series in India have seen lower scores than in years gone by as spin-friendly wickets made things difficult for tourist and India batsmen alike.
The Eden Gardens pitch promises something a little different and India captain Virat Kohli is keen to see his team pile on the runs to use scoreboard pressure against the Black Caps.
The skipper has said: "As a home side, we feel we are able to put big runs on the board, that obviously puts pressure on the opposition regardless of the wicket we are playing on.
"I felt that even in the last game we had a chance of getting 400-plus, but we didn't capitalise. So those are the things we want to correct. Once you have a big score on the board, the opposition feels they have to work that extra bit or bat a session-and-a-half more than they would like to. That gives you an advantage in the game."
The square has been relayed at Eden Gardens meaning nobody is quite sure how the pitch will play, but Kohli expects it to be good for batting.
The captain added: "The wicket is what we see in Calcutta more often than not. It's generally a very good batting wicket more often than not. We are expecting the same."
Kohli has been working hard on his batting using a rubber ball to help him get used to variations in bounce after his twin failures in Kanpur.
The skipper explained: "Rubber ball was because we play three formats and we sometimes do tend to bat in a flow.
"It is very important to work on skills that bring stability as well, which you already have but it is about repeating those things. It was all about wanting to control the ball that is bouncing and not coming at pace. That was the idea behind that.
"Cricket is a game where you prepare well but the result cannot be in your hand all the time. Especially batting, where you have only one chance. If you get caught off a no-ball it is different. Generally cricket is a game of chances, but preparation is in my hand. I look to that 100% every time I walk on to practise."
