On Tuesday, New Zealand coach Gary Stead expressed his surprise after Indian batsmen’s wretched surrender in the first Test but is expecting a strong comeback in Christchurch. India was bundled out for 165 and 191 in the two innings of the opening Test, leading to a 10-wicket drubbing in just over three days.

Talking to the reporters on Tuesday, Stead said, “It was a bit of a surprise but it was also due to the pressure we put on those guys for long periods of time. We want teams to believe that it is as tough in New Zealand as it is playing anywhere else in the world. That’s a pride thing.”

Getting Ajinkya Rahane cheaply in the first session of Day 4 was the clincher for Stead. After that, he knew that New Zealand would wrap it up quickly. After the match, the Indian skipper, Virat Kohli had expressed a desire for his batsmen to come out with a positive approach, and Stead feels that a world-class side like India would like to dominate the proceedings.

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Talking about the same, the coach said, “I expect Indian batsmen trying to dominate more and that will be a challenge for our bowlers because a world-class team like India will come back hard.”

Neil Wagner will be making a comeback for the second Test after the birth of his first child and there is a possibility that the home team will go in with four specialist seamers in bowling friendly conditions at the Hagley Oval.

Talking about the headache, Stead said, “That’s always a good selection dilemma to have as Neil Wagner is coming back. Kyle Jamieson made most of his debut in the outstanding manner that he played. Neil will be back (in the eleven) with us without a doubt.”

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Asked if the 60 points earned puts them in a good place in the World Test Championship table, Stead didn’t want to look that far ahead.

New Zealand head coach said, “Looking too far ahead would be dangerous for us. The next Test is the only thing we can focus on now. After this, we play the next Test series in August. It is an away series in Bangladesh and completely different.”