Vettori asks for clear minds to break jinx

Daniel Vettori, the New Zealand captain, has asked his batsmen to play with clear minds if they are to arrest a nine-match losing streak that threatens to derail his side's lead-up to the 2011 World Cup.

"Each individual has to stand up and perform well," Vettori said ahead of the first of two dead-rubber matches against India, who have won the series 3-0. "We need a couple of top-order batsmen coming good in the next two matches. What we have to do tomorrow is be clear in our minds and perform the roles we need to do.

"The reasons for the three-match drubbing are relatively simple and unfortunate. We failed to post enough runs on the board by trying different things. We did not put pressure on the Indian batsmen. In this part of the world you need to go harder with the ball and make it straight."

New Zealand's ability to put up big scores has been hampered by injuries to Jesse Ryder and Brendon McCullum, and Ross Taylor's indifferent form throughout the tour. Vettori was confident that Taylor would come good in Bangalore, his IPL home. He also hoped that McCullum would keep wickets to give his side more balance.

"Ross has been performing well and has a good record for a long time," Vettori said. "We are hopeful that he is comfortable here in Bangalore. Obviously this is a real turning point for him in the series. McCullum's back is still giving him a bit of trouble. It is difficult to keep wickets with a sore back. He is on for the game tomorrow morning and is progressing and getting better. I am just hoping that he keeps wickets but I am not 100% sure."

The Chinnaswamy Stadium sported bouncy tracks during IPL 2010, and assisted seamers even during the recent Test against Australia. Vettori expected some help for the bowlers during the day-night game, but chose not to finalise his team's composition ahead of time. "It has got lot more grass on it and probably not damp but little sticky," he said. "We need to see what the change is going to be in the next 24 hours. We would take a decision [on the team] tomorrow. I think the present lot is good enough to win the game but there may be a couple of changes here and there."

Despite the lack of success on the tour, Vettori said the side had gained from Duncan Fletcher's involvement as a consultant. He also hinted that there was talk of bringing Mushtaq Ahmed, the former Pakistan legspinner currently working with the England team, to help their spinners. "Duncan has come in under the same set of umbrella for batting. He has a lot of ideas on bowling, fielding and batting. He has come and is trying to help the guys as much as possible."