Stephen Fleming expects his pace bowlers to maintain their Indian sign over the opposition during the one-day series which starts in Auckland on Thursday. New Zealand were comfortably the better side in the Tests, which they won 2-0, and Fleming was indebted to his three fast men, who accounted for 36 of the 40 Indian wickets to fall. Daryl Tuffey led the way with 13, but Shane Bond (12) and Jacob Oram (11) weren't far behind as India were decimated on seaming tracks at Wellington and Hamilton. "Our bowlers have got another chance to get on top of them," said Fleming, looking ahead to the day-night match at Eden Park. "I'd like to focus on the ability of Bond and Tuffey to continue their dominance over the Indians. They've to keep an edge over their batsmen even though India are a very talented one-day side and have quality players." Fleming expected the pitch to be different from those provided for the Tests. "I have been an advocate for bounce, but don't get it confused with seam movement," he said. "The wicket here looks good and it's nice to practise your trade on a good surface. I think the batsmen were screaming up for that and we've got it at this venue." The New Zealand batsmen were as short of runs in the Tests as their Indian counterparts, with only Mark Richardson scoring a half-century. And Fleming admitted that aspect of his side's game needed a lot of work. "We are not the most in-form batting unit this season," he said. "We have to perform. The pressure is on as it's a very important time of the year in terms of our preparations for the World Cup." New Zealand will be without allrounders Chris Cairns and Chris Harris, who are recovering from injuries, but Fleming expressed the view that their absence was an opportunity for fringe players to strut their stuff. "We've got quality players in our squad, so it's a challenge for them to be competitive and win matches," he said. "If we do get the services of Cairns and Harris, we are going to be better off. But this squad has the responsibility of winning the games and they know what they need to do." The two pitches used for the Tests came in for more than their fair share of criticism, even in New Zealand, but Fleming preferred to accentuate the positives rather than dwell on the negative. "This was a unique Test series," he said, "but I was very happy I had a side that was ready to compete in difficult circumstances. I know it was tough for Indian batsmen, but we had to bat on them (seaming pitches) as well. That's the point I'd like to put across. We did enough to win." India have more options available for the one-day series now that Anil Kumble, Javagal Srinath and Yuvraj Singh have arrived in New Zealand, a fact that Fleming acknowledged. "Srinath and Kumble have got experience which is the key in one-dayers," he said. "They have had a lot of success and are quality bowlers." But on the flip side, he added, "I guess the benefit from our point of view is we have seen a lot of them in one-day cricket." Fleming took a calculated risk by questioning the Indians' batting reputation ahead of the second Test and then had to depend on his bowlers to bail him out. This time round, he has again thrown down the pace gauntlet. It remains to be seen whether Sourav Ganguly and friends bother to pick it up.

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