Openers or opening batsmen are indeed a blessed lot; they not only have to put up with the thunderbolts of the opposition speedsters, sledging and unwarranted comments by the close in fielders, but also have to take constant barbs from the media about their places in the side in their stride..........
Team India has been really blessed in this regard, and we have had a plethora of successful opening combinations doing well both for themselves as well as the team ever since the halycon days of Messrs Vijay Merchant and Pankaj Roy; they were subsequently followed by equally successful opening pairs like Sunny Gavaskar and Chetan Chauhan, Sunny Gavaskar and Krishnamachari Srikkanth, and Ravi Shastri-Navjot Singh Sidhu........
Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir have kept the flag flying aloft in this regard and are widely regarded as the most formidable present day opening pair; yet the Indian media as is it's wont, continues to take pot shots at the continuance of this opening partnership and has raised serious doubts about it's usefulness and relevance......
The fact of the matter is that this opening combination continues to average a more than healthy average of 53 runs per innings as a pair despite not having had a century plus stand for more than a calendar year and scored individual test centuries for almost eighteen months........
Are statistics and cold figures the only yardstick or measure of an opening pair's efficacy or effectiveness or do potential, pedigree and ability also count for something; well if the last three mentioned parameters are all that it takes then team India can certainly continue to remain carefree in this regard........
Gambhir and Sehwag are certainly the best opening pair in the land, but has the time to disband this most successful opening partnership in India's cricketing history arrived? the answer unfortunately would have to lie in the affirmative for the following cricketing reasons.........
Virender Sehwag is not a natural opening batsman but willingly or manfully donned the mantle at his then captain and benefactor Saurav Ganguly's behest; he certainly did make a meal of this new found position and responsibility and arguably proved to be one of India's best ever openers, but, the fact remains that Sehwag has been vocal about seeking a return to his familiar middle order role for the last two years and more and is only persisting with this onerous responsibility at the behest of the team management..........
You need to enjoy your chosen vocation to do justice to it, and the opener's role was not Sehwag's chosen vocation but was rather thrust upon him and all credit to him for being an unqualified success in a seemingly unfamiliar position, but one fails to understand the reluctance on the part of both the team management as well as the selectors with regard to reverting him back to his familiar middle order position.......
The Nawab of Najafgarh will become the senior most batsman in the team by default once a certain Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar hangs his boots and that fateful day is certainly not too far off, and the entire world and it's cousin is well acquainted with the indisputable fact regarding a cricketer's reflexes and responses slowing down once he crosses the age of 35, Sehwag is already past 34 now so grant him his wish before he starts becoming a liability in the side..........
Better late than never, one only hopes and prays that divine wisdom dawns on the selectors and team management art long last, as the extended cricketing season on home soil does indeed afford them a golden opportunity of slotting Virender Sehwag in the middle order........
As for the opening partnership, give the eternal bridesmaid Ajinkya Rahane a chance to prove his mettle in this imposing role at the highest level, he has more than made a meal of it in the shorter versions of the game despite limited opportunities being accorded to him and there is certainly no reason why he cannot replicate this success in the oldest and longest version of this glorious game......
Well what is that someone once said about wishes being horses and beggars riding the same..............
Team India has been really blessed in this regard, and we have had a plethora of successful opening combinations doing well both for themselves as well as the team ever since the halycon days of Messrs Vijay Merchant and Pankaj Roy; they were subsequently followed by equally successful opening pairs like Sunny Gavaskar and Chetan Chauhan, Sunny Gavaskar and Krishnamachari Srikkanth, and Ravi Shastri-Navjot Singh Sidhu........
Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir have kept the flag flying aloft in this regard and are widely regarded as the most formidable present day opening pair; yet the Indian media as is it's wont, continues to take pot shots at the continuance of this opening partnership and has raised serious doubts about it's usefulness and relevance......
The fact of the matter is that this opening combination continues to average a more than healthy average of 53 runs per innings as a pair despite not having had a century plus stand for more than a calendar year and scored individual test centuries for almost eighteen months........
Are statistics and cold figures the only yardstick or measure of an opening pair's efficacy or effectiveness or do potential, pedigree and ability also count for something; well if the last three mentioned parameters are all that it takes then team India can certainly continue to remain carefree in this regard........
Gambhir and Sehwag are certainly the best opening pair in the land, but has the time to disband this most successful opening partnership in India's cricketing history arrived? the answer unfortunately would have to lie in the affirmative for the following cricketing reasons.........
Virender Sehwag is not a natural opening batsman but willingly or manfully donned the mantle at his then captain and benefactor Saurav Ganguly's behest; he certainly did make a meal of this new found position and responsibility and arguably proved to be one of India's best ever openers, but, the fact remains that Sehwag has been vocal about seeking a return to his familiar middle order role for the last two years and more and is only persisting with this onerous responsibility at the behest of the team management..........
You need to enjoy your chosen vocation to do justice to it, and the opener's role was not Sehwag's chosen vocation but was rather thrust upon him and all credit to him for being an unqualified success in a seemingly unfamiliar position, but one fails to understand the reluctance on the part of both the team management as well as the selectors with regard to reverting him back to his familiar middle order position.......
The Nawab of Najafgarh will become the senior most batsman in the team by default once a certain Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar hangs his boots and that fateful day is certainly not too far off, and the entire world and it's cousin is well acquainted with the indisputable fact regarding a cricketer's reflexes and responses slowing down once he crosses the age of 35, Sehwag is already past 34 now so grant him his wish before he starts becoming a liability in the side..........
Better late than never, one only hopes and prays that divine wisdom dawns on the selectors and team management art long last, as the extended cricketing season on home soil does indeed afford them a golden opportunity of slotting Virender Sehwag in the middle order........
As for the opening partnership, give the eternal bridesmaid Ajinkya Rahane a chance to prove his mettle in this imposing role at the highest level, he has more than made a meal of it in the shorter versions of the game despite limited opportunities being accorded to him and there is certainly no reason why he cannot replicate this success in the oldest and longest version of this glorious game......
Well what is that someone once said about wishes being horses and beggars riding the same..............
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