Optimistically, some 350 out of the maximum possible 450 overs will be bowled in this Test. Pessimistically -- and count me in there -- it is likely to be 270, give or take a few.

India seems to have opted for pragmatism over daring -- Ajit Agarkar excluded for performance, Tinu Yohannan brought in to support the two left-arm seamers, the batting left unchanged, and Murli Karthik left on the bench.

Given the truncated nature of this Test, there really seems to be just one gameplan to go with -- go hard at the Kiwis from the get go, use the batting to bludgeon a way through, aiming at say going at 3.5 for at least 100 overs to give yourself a wedge, with which to crack the host side wide open.

This is a game that tests the team's self-pride, after the shellacking it has taken from sundry members of the New Zealand establishment and team. Fleming merely underlined the tough talk of the last few days when he promptly inserted on winning the toss.

It will be interesting to see how the players respond.