NZ great cautious after tense first day

On one of the most fascinating days of Test cricket seen on Indian soil in recent years, a combative New Zealand rose from the depths to leave the hosts an uneasy 7-239 in the second Test in Kolkata.

But former captain Stephen Fleming was wary of judging the state of the match until the tourists had batted on the newly-laid Eden Gardens wicket.

Report & Highlights: Honours even at Eden Gardens

"New Zealand will be satisfied, but I suppose also a bit concerned at the variable bounce in the wicket," said Fleming, who is working as a TV commentator for the series.

"I am not sure how good this score is after seeing some balls keep low. All I will say it is not a great score, but certainly a competitive one."

Down 1-0 in the three-Test series after a 197-run defeat in the first Test in Kanpur, the Black Caps were dealt a massive blow when captain and star batsman Kane Williamson was ruled out due to viral fever.

Worse, stand-in Ross Taylor lost the toss and the tourists were left facing the prospect of a hard toil in the field in the stifling, energy-sapping heat and humidity.

But New Zealand were left rubbing their eyes in disbelief as the fresh turf with a thin layer of moisture-laden grass provided the kind of seam and bounce the tourists would normally expect at Eden Park rather than Eden Gardens.

Matt Henry, picked as the third seamer at the expense of leg-spinner Ish Sodhi, bowled Shikhar Dhawan in his first over and had Murali Vijay caught behind soon after to make it 2-28.

Left-armer Trent Boult earned the prize wicket of Kohli a few overs later, caught by a diving Tom Latham at gully for nine, as India slipped to 3-46 within the first hour of play.

Cheteshwar Pujara (87) and Ajinkya Rahane (77) revived the innings by batting through the afternoon session to add 141 for the fourth wicket, before the Black Caps hit back after tea with three wickets in the space of 13 runs.

Henry took 3-35 from 15 overs and off-spinner Jeetan Patel, who flew in from England just a day earlier to replace the injured Mark Craig, claimed the key wickets of Rohit Sharma and Rahane.

Henry admitted he didn't expect to get so much assistance from the wicket.

Quick Single: Williamson ruled out of second Test

"Coming over here, you probably don't expect conditions like that at the start of the day, so we knew we had to make the most of that," said the 24-year-old Henry, playing his fifth Test.

"It was important to make them play the ball. It wasn't rocket science really. It's the same thing at home, with the new ball offering a bit of bounce.

"We had to take advantage of the new ball because the wicket had been under covers for a long time and would seam a bit.

"The first hour tomorrow is crucial. We just have to keep applying, be patient and do our jobs. It is going to be an important session for how the game unfolds."

Rahane said he was surprised at getting an uneven pitch on the first day, but blamed the batsmen for getting out with loose shots.

"The Eden Gardens wicket is usually very good for batting, so we are surprised at getting a two-paced surface," said Pujara.

"But there are no excuses for the total we have. We played some bad shots and got out. We have to learn quickly and move on again."

Rahane said the quick wickets in the final session set India back.

"We had a good session after lunch, but lost focus after tea and got out. We should not have lost more than five wickets. We need to get to at least 325-300 tomorrow."