The Hagley Oval pitch is expected to aid seam bowling more but batting will get easier as the match progresses

With the reputation of being the No. 1 side in the world at stake, the Indian cricket team head into the second and final Test of the series against New Zealand with nothing less than a win the target. Having suffered a humiliating defeat in the first Test in Wellington, the tactical plans for the Christchurch battle are all prepared for Virat Kohli & Co. An outside threat, however, looms large to deter India's hopes as Hagley Oval is expected to witness rain on Day 1 and Day 5 of the match.

At Wellington, it was the nature of the pitch, together with the windy conditions that made batting difficult for Indian batters. Mayank Agarwal and Ajinkya Rahane were the only ones to show some resolve as morning sessions remained quite testing for the Indian batters.

While it wouldn't be as windy in Christchurch, the skies are expected to remain cloudy throughout the course of the match. There's a high chance of rain in the first and fifth day and the other three days also have slight possibilities of rain in phases.

As per The Weather Channel's Met Team, the temperature on Saturday is expected to hover between 16 to 18-degree Celcius but will increase to 21 and 24 on Sunday and Monday respectively during the day time.

Wind speed below 20 kmph is expected to blow while humidity could vary from 58% to 73%. Here's a look at the day-wise forecast of the second Test:

The picture of the pitch that the BCCI shared on Thursday had quite a bit of grass on it, leaving everyone confused as to what New Zealand plan to do in the second Test. However, quite a bit of grass has been shaved off since then and another trim is expected to take place before the start of the first day's play on Saturday.

The wicket, however, is expected to aid the seam bowlers a lot more than spinners in the first few days. Batting will get easier as the match progresses but good pace and bounce are a certainty.