New Zealand opt to bat first in second India T20

India`s Bhuvneshwar Kumar (R) prepares to bowl during the second Twenty20 international cricket match between New Zealand and India in Auckland on 8 February 2019. Photo: AFP
India`s Bhuvneshwar Kumar (R) prepares to bowl during the second Twenty20 international cricket match between New Zealand and India in Auckland on 8 February 2019. Photo: AFP

New Zealand won the toss and opted to bat first as they look to wrap up the series in the second Twenty20 against India at Eden Park on Friday.

India slumped to an 80-run loss in the opening fixture -- their worst ever T20 defeat -- and are desperate to redeem themselves and keep the three-match series alive.

Black Caps skipper Kane Williamson said everything clicked for the hosts in the first match in Wellington and they wanted to maintain momentum.

"That doesn't happen every day but hopefully we can keep making strides in that direction," he said.

"It's usually a pretty good surface here so we'll try to make use of that and get a good total."

Both New Zealand and India named unchanged teams for the fixture, with the tourists fielding eight specialist batsmen in order to exploit Eden Park's short boundaries.

Captain Rohit Sharma said the key for his team was maintaining pressure throughout the innings, not just in patches.

"We need to keep doing the right things and doing it consistently, not just for a few overs then giving away freebies," he said.

"That's what went wrong in the last game. Hopefully we can come out and correct those mistakes, not repeat them."

New Zealand: Tim Seifert, Colin Munro, Kane Williamson (Capt), Daryl Mitchell, Ross Taylor, Colin de Grandhomme, Mitchell Santner, Scott Kuggeleijn, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi, Lockie Ferguson

India: Rohit Sharma (Capt), Shikhar Dhawan, Rishabh Pant, Vijay Shankar, Dinesh Karthik, MS Dhoni, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Khaleel Ahmed, Yuzvendra Chahal