The last two New Zealand-Sri Lanka ODIs in Mount Maunganui produced more than 600 runs on both occasions. After a damp squib in the opening game of the five-match series, both New Zealand and India are expected to produce a high-scoring affair with the track likely to help the batsmen in the second game.

With the track expected to play true, the pressure will be more on the batsmen to give the bowlers the much-needed cushion of additional runs. Shikhar Dhawan, who became the second-quickest to 5000 ODI runs in the last encounter, however stressed the team isn't thinking of a big score and will evaluate the target only once the game starts. "We've seen the history about the ground - what the average score is. But at the same time, we make it a point to see the pitch as well. Once we can get a good sense of it, and possibly think of a target that we can set," he said on Friday (January 25). "Sometimes, even though the pitch plays well, it's not enough. Like in the first game, the surface was good to bat on, but because of the start which we got and the pressure we built on New Zealand, is why we could restrict them to a low total.

"This milestone is part of the journey. It also shows I have been performing well. I am happy to achieve it and will be looking forward to scoring more runs for my team and do well consistently," Dhawan added about his milestone.

India's top three have carried the batting workload for a long while and have ensured there isn't much pressure on the middle order more often than not. In the opening ODI as well, once Rohit Sharma was dismissed, Virat Kohli and Dhawan eased the team towards the target with a substantial stand. Dhawan felt their ability to rotate strike easily is what makes them click. "We have been playing for a long time. We rotate the strike very well, that is one thing that keeps the pressure off. If one hits the boundary, it boosts the other. When the boundaries are coming, the pressure is off the other batsmen as well," Dhawan pointed out.

"We always plan that our top order scores more and stays longer at the pitch. But it also depends on the target, match to match, score to score and a little bit on the mood. If the target is 300 or plus, we cannot play slow. If we are chasing more than 300, then in the first 10 overs as an opener we have to put up scores quickly and create momentum. We have to keep adapting."

With both Dhawan and Rohit set to open for India in the World Cup, barring any injuries, India will enter the tournament with an explosive top three. While his place is secure in the side, Dhawan said the healthy competition keeps them on their toes. "It's (competition) always there," he stressed. "Even when the youngsters have come, they've been performing really well. Everyone has to be on their toes. Take the case of Prithvi Shaw, the way he came into the Test team and scored a century and then 70 runs. It shows that our bench strength is very good."