Dhoni confident of breaking Kiwi jinx

Mahendra Singh Dhoni sounded confident to break the 41-year jinx of winning a Test series in New Zealand. The Indian team arrived on Kiwiland ahead of their Twenty20 tour opener against the Black caps in Christchurch on Friday.

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Sachin Tendulkar arrives at
Christchurch airport, NZ onu00a0Friday

The Indians have famously struggled to cope with New Zealand conditions in the past, but this time they are favourites on and off the field.

During their last visit in 2002-03, the Indians could not handle the swinging, seaming conditions, losing the tests 2-0. This time they have brought arguably the world's best new ball attack and they are warning not to expect the same again.

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"Now I think we have more firepower to exploit, whether it's seaming conditions or a batting paradise, so our team is quite balanced when it comes to that," skipper Dhoni was quoted as saying on 3news.com.

The tour could be the last chance for Kiwi fans to see one of the true legends of the game. At 35 years old, Sachin Tendulkar's career is winding down. Fans and players alike know there will never be another.

"Any individual who is a youngster who thinks he has replaced, or thinks he will replace Sachin Tendulkar, I think will make the biggest mistake of his life," said Dhoni.

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India skipper MS Dhoni
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Indians are having a dream run with consecutive Test series wins over Australia and England and a 4-1 one-day success over Sri Lanka. Dhoni felt he had a productive unit.

"I'm proud to say that this Indian team is not relying on any individual," Dhoni was quoted as saying on Cricinfo. "Everybody is contributing and everyone has a definite role to play in the side and that's what they are doing.

"If we fail to get a good start from the openers someone in the middle order stands up. If the batsmen don't score too many runs then it's the bowlers who stand up and take the opportunity to prove themselves and that's why we are winning more games."

India begin their tour on February 25 with the first of two Twenty20 internationals. They also play five ODIs and three Tests.

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