MUMBAI, SEPT 27: The New Zealanders seem to be all geared-up to undertake a Test tour which they haven't had much success in their past seven outings. The captain Stephen Fleming and new coach David Trist kept the buoyant mood prevalent after their recent conquest in England recently while dwelling on various aspects of the team on their arrival on Monday.Ingredients of success on sub-continent pitchesTrist: Control and patience are what I think are important on these pitches backed up by quality and some fire. The firepower gets you early wickets and that is what we would be aiming for against the might of the Indian top order batting. India has one of the best home records in international cricket, but I am sure my team will rise to the occasion in pitch conditions which may vary quite remarkably during the series.Spin hope Daniel VettoriTrist: We have only Vettori and off-spinner Paul Wiseman as frontline spin bowlers. We certainly would have liked to have an all-rounder who canbowl the slow stuff, but there is none. Vettori has made great progress as a slow bowler. He will be challenged in Indian conditions but I am confident he is a great learner. He already has a pleasing international record and has played on sub-continental pitches, in Sri Lanka, with some success.We will be looking to him to make some contribution when and if called upon depending on the pitches. We know the Indian batters will take him on and play him positively. But I think he has taken his game forward. He has changed his line of attack from the outside the leg-stump which he used to bowl some time ago and he has good variations.Absence of pace bowlers Doull and Allott to injuryFleming: It is always disappointing when you don't have such players in your team. But at the same time, we have confidence in the replacements for the two and see it as an opportunity to provide them gain experience.Trist: It is a setback. Allot has some way to go in Test cricket though he had made greatstrides in the one-dayers. Replacements Chris Drum has limited experience while Shayne O'Conner and Andrew Penn would be useful in certain conditions. It was pleasing to watch Dion Nash and Chris Cairns bowling in tandem with control and patience against India at home.Winds of change on the coaching frontFleming: The team had braced up for the change.Trist: The team has attained maturity during Steve Rixon's stint. He has made my job easy by putting the protocols and systems in place.ItineraryTrist: We feel there is a satisfactory lead-in to the Test series by way of two first class tour games to begin with.
