Hamilton: The first day of India's practice match against New Zealand XI turned out to be just another day in the office for Cheteshwar Pujara.

The pitch had a tinge of green, the bounce was spongy and the NZ XI pace battery had plenty of zip. India slumped to 5-3 before crashing to 38-4 inside 90 minutes. The situation demanded extreme caution. Enter, Pujara, who thrives on the cautious approach given his brilliant temperament. Pujara's mind is trained for exactly such passages of play.