An after-dinner banquet of applied pressure from the Indian bowlers gave the New Zealanders a sharp reminder that in a series of matches as rapid-fire as this one has been, nothing can be taken for granted. New Zealand were 59/6. The old Indian warhorse Javagal Srinath knew what to do when the opportunity provided itself and halfway through the innings he had bowled eight overs and taken three for 18 while Ashish Nehra, bowling with great intensity had two for 16 from nine overs.

After going to the dinner break at 29 for one, New Zealand lost two wickets without addition in the two overs after the adjournment. Stephen Fleming got a ball from Nehra that was judged to have been leg before wicket by Asoka de Silva. He was out for 12 to a ball which, if it looked to be in the debateable category, was no different to several that have been called this summer.

Mathew Sinclair appeared to lose his concentration against Zaheer Khan as he went for a cut shot too soon after returning to the middle and found Sourav Ganguly waiting down low at point to accept the catch.

Lou Vincent broke the scoring deadlock by simply playing straight, with two twos resulting from off-drives and then four which went the same way off the next ball.

Craig McMillan took 15 balls before scoring his first run, an off-driven boundary from Zaheer Khan. But when Sourav Ganguly changed Khan for Javagal Srinath he had instant reward as Srinath had McMillan fishing at a straight ball and edging it behind to wicket-keeper Rahul Dravid.

McMillan was clearly struggling while at the other end Vincent eased into his innings by playing straight, even with a crossbat shot back past the bowler for four.

Brendon McCullum replaced McMillan and pulled four runs from a leg-side ball. However, he was given out, when clearly missing the ball. His dismissal left New Zealand 52/5.

From the western end, Ashish Nehra kept steaming in and he trapped Vincent leg before wicket for 13 to leave New Zealand 52/6.

Kyle Mills was four not out and Jacob Oram three not out.

It was their lowest score in ODIs against New Zealand.

By the dinner break, New Zealand were well on their way to wrapping up the first match of the seven game series at 29 for one with Stephen Fleming 12 not out and Mathew Sinclair 15 not out.

New Zealand wrapped up the end of the Indian innings very quickly

Daniel Vettori finally got to bowl in the National Bank series and had to wait only four balls before having his first wicket, Zaheer Khan trapped leg before wicket. Khan had been hitting out usefully for India in partnership with Rahul Dravid but when he was out for 14 at 103/9 it was clear the end was nigh.

Dravid attempted to hit out after Daryl Tuffey came back to replace the triumphant Jacob Oram who had New Zealand's second best bowling figures against India with his five for 26, and the equal sixth best figures in New Zealand's one-day history.

Dravid clubbed a ball from Tuffey to long-on, but a leaping mid-on Vettori, pulled in a great catch from a ball that was rocketing its way to the boundary. Dravid was furious with himself, being out for 20 scored off 51 balls. But not for the first time on this tour he was the one player prepared to play within himself and to await the right balls to hit.

Tuffey had good reward for a controlled spell of bowling that was only marred after Shiv Das took a four and a six in the last over of his first spell. He took two for 23 from 6.5 overs.

New Zealand did not make the desired start. Nathan Astle was out, caught by V V S Laxman at second slip off the last ball of Javagal Srinath's first over.

Srinath mustered some good pace and got one ball through Sinclair's defences to strike him a nasty blow in the groin. But Sinclair, who admitted before the game that he had been thrown a lifeline, was making good use of the straight drive to get his innings underway.

He became only the third New Zealander to take a five-wicket bag against India in ODIs, after Richard Hadlee and Richard Collinge.

At the end of his 10 overs, Oram had five for 26.

India were 103/8 after 30 overs, with Rahul Dravid on 19 and Zaheer Khan on 10.

It was an impressive display against a diffident Indian attack who treated the Eden Park pitch with far more suspicion than it deserved.

Three wickets in six balls, in the 16th and 17th overs, ripped the heart out of India's batting. Sunder Das tried a wipe shot that had been working well against the speed of Shane Bond and flying from the bat. Kyle Mills bowled a good 10km/h slower and all Das did was send the ball to Stephen Fleming at first slip and he made no mistake. That was the last ball of Mills' third over. Das had scored 30 off the 60 balls he faced.

Oram, bowling from the eastern end of the ground, had greater luck against Sourav Ganguly than in his first over. Ganguly inside-edged a ball just over his wickets from a boundary. This time around, however, he played the ball into his stumps and was out for 14.

Yuvraj Singh came out and took two runs but then played at a slightly wider ball outside off and the resulting edge flew to Nathan Astle at second slip. India were 65/5 and in serious trouble with the last recognisd batsmen Rahul Dravid and Mohammad Kaif trying to pull the innings around.

There was time for some uncomfortable-looking singles from the pair, and a cover driven boundary to Kaif before he edged a straight ball to Fleming at slip. India were 74/6.

Anil Kumble came out but could add nothing to the score before he was given out, caught by Fleming for a duck allowing Oram to claim his best figures in the 26 ODIs he has played.

His previous best was three for 40 against Sri Lanka in Sharjah in 2000/01.

Then, after Javagal Srinath tried to wipe off the cobwebs of jetlag he found run scoring against Oram impossible and off the last ball of his sixth over edged him to third slip where Mathew Sinclair did a fine job diving to his left and a little behind to take a good catch. India were 74/8.

It was left to Dravid and Zaheer Khan to attempt to at least ensure that India batted out the 50 overs and leave New Zealand a target of around 150-180 to chase.

But given the injury problems the Indians found themselves facing, he was asked to stay on in Auckland as cover.

Then he found himself opening the innings with Virender Sehwag. Das, more of a Test specialist than an ODI player, was holding the Indian top-order together during the first 15 overs.

He may not be the most technically correct batsman in the side but he was effective in the conditions, and in seeing off the pace of Shane Bond.

India were 61 for two after 15 overs with Das on 29 and captain Sourav Ganguly still looking to find his feet on 13.

Ganguly, without his usual supporting cast of top-order batsmen, was facing a big job for his side, and was prepared to take some risks to get the run rate up during the first 15 overs.

New Zealand decided to bowl first after winning the toss.

Virender Sehwag's miserable tour continued when Shane Bond got a superb inswinging yorker through his defences off the second ball he bowled to Sehwag, the first having been a wide. India were five for one.

Bond had some difficulties getting his line right in his first over and bowled three wides.

He did bowl Das in the fourth over with another inswinger, but it was ruled a no-ball by umpire Asoka de Silva.

There wasn't a lot of opportunity for the batsmen with Bond regularly hitting the 140 km/h mark although Das did spear one boundary over the first slip area to pick up a boundary.

Bond was rested after five overs with one for 17, including two no-balls and three wides.

What was most impressive about New Zealand's bowling was the way in which Daryl Tuffey switched so quickly into one-day mode. He was superbly accurate throughout his first 5.3 overs, but then a directed shot between two gullies for four was followed next ball by a hooked six which fell just over the backward square leg boundary. With a single run over the last ball, his figures ended on six overs for one for 23.

Kyle Mills replaced Bond, in his 11th One-Day international and bowled a maiden to Das while Jacob Oram conceded four runs off the first ball he bowled, an inside edge that went perilously close to the top of the stumps en route to the boundary.

Ganguly won both tosses in the Test series which was a factor in New Zealand winning the series 2-0.

Making life more uncomfortable for India is the absence of master batsman Sachin Tendulkar who turned an ankle bowling at training on Christmas Eve and did not respond quickly enough to treatment to be able to play today.

Also out is Harbhajan Singh who has a long-standing hand injury and is unable to play.

Agit Agarkar is 12th man for India.

New Zealand have made Paul Hitchcock their 12th man, a move likely to lend a little more solidity to a batting line-up that is under pressure to shake off the batting blues that have afflicted the home side so far this summer.

It will also put some pressure on the bowling attack which is lacking three key members of last summer's one-day attack Chris Cairns, Chris Harris and Andre Adams, all of whom are recovering from injuries.

The day dawned wet in Auckland but it stopped raining around 8.30am and since then the sun has shone and a superb looking one-day pitch has greeted the players as both teams begin their countdown to World Cup 2003.

A large Boxing Day crowd is also in prospect now that the skies have cleared.

The teams are:

New Zealand Stephen Fleming (captain), Nathan Astle, Mathew Sinclair, Craig McMillan, Lou Vincent, Brendon McCullum, Jacob Oram, Daniel Vettori, Kyle Mills, Daryl Tuffey, Shane Bond. Paul Hitchcock (12th man).

India: Sourav Ganguly (captain), Rahul Dravid, Mohammad Kaif, Shiv Sunder Daas, Zaheer Khan, Anil Kumble, VVS Laxman, Virender Sehwag, Javagal Srinath, Yuvraj Singh, Ashish Nehra, Ajit Agarkar (12th man).

The umpires are: Asoka de Silva (Sri Lanka), Brent Bowden (New Zealand). Doug Cowie is third umpire. Ranjan Madugalle is the match referee.