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India’s search for a stable opening pair seemed to have ended with Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir, but the two explosive Delhi batsmen have left a bitter taste in the mouth with their recent performances. One can’t help but admire their contribution to India’s success in the limited overs game in the recent years, especially at the World Cup; but the international arena is not one where you can survive on your past laurels. You must have the appetite for more all the time.
Due to the poor form of the veteran openers, India began a search for an opening pair in the Test series against Australia. The selectors had an abundance of talent to choose from. The Ranji Trophy is a primary parameter as it is at that platform that a player can prove his ability to get big runs, but the IPL is a good test of temperament where a player can test himself against international stars. Ajinkya Rahane and Murali Vijay seemed to emerge as two potent options, but the selectors had not forgotten the experienced opener from Delhi by the name of Shikhar Dhawan.
The rest, as they say, is history. Dhawan has scored three consecutive hundreds in international cricket starting with a pulsating 187 against Australia at Mohali, and two match-winning knocks in the Champions Trophy. On the other hand, Rohit Sharma has been in the Indian side for quite a long period of time. His promising batting exhibition on the challenging surfaces of Australia in 2008 garnered a lot of international attention. MS Dhoni has invested a lot of confidence in the youngster from Mumbai, but he has failed to live up to expectations. Promoted up the order for the Champions Trophy, Rohit Sharma has scored two consecutive half-centuries evoking the expectation that this opening pair will provide the consistency and longevity that Indian fans desire.
Here is a list of five reasons why Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma can make a successful opening partnership.
1. Controlled aggression
Often in the past India has suffered because of Virender Sehwag’s inability to temper his natural instinct. His onslaught is a joy to watch when he’s on song; but unfortunately, he has had repeated failures in the last few years. Gautam Gambhir provided the stability that Sehwag spurned in the initial phase of the partnership, but the T20 bug seemed to have caught up with him as he tried to make the best out of the powerplay overs. Dhawan is of the same brand as Sehwag in one sense, as he can take on the bowlers at will, but he seems to have the ability to adapt to the situation a lot more. On the other hand, Rohit Sharma can play the big shots but he depends on his ability to time the ball and does not force the situation unnecessarily.
2. Technical superiority
Dhawan and Sharma have made a promising start in the Champions Trophy in the difficult conditions of England. A look at the results so far in the competition indicate that teams have been involved in low-scoring games and it is not as easy as the Indian batsmen make it look. A solid foundation is the secret to a big score; and in order to lay that foundation, the openers need to have a batting technique that can counter swing, bounce and pace. Sharma’s poise and grace comes from his ability to play the ball extremely late negating the factors of swing. He has the tendency to fish for the ball outside the off stump, but with his ability against the short ball he is a good bet overseas. Dhawan, on the other hand, has an optimum amount of footwork and depends on the ball coming onto the bat, but can use force as well. His ability against spin means that he can capitalize on a good start.’
3. The left-right combination
Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag offered the same advantage to India. With the bowlers trying to concentrate on a line and length, rotation of strike brings about constant change in the bowler’s radar as a result of which it is all the more difficult to extract swing. It also means that there is that odd loose ball on the pads to be flicked away to the boundary. Sharma and Dhawan will cash in on the same advantage.
4. Running between the wickets
Even though Sehwag was not the most agile player on the field, he had a telepathic understanding with Gambhir when it came to running between the wickets by virtue of their coming from the same Ranji team. Dhawan and Sharma have better legs and they did not show any catastrophic running either. They were swift with the singles and called well. It’s significant that they develop this aspect of their game together.
5. Redemption for Sharma?
This arrangement might just be a blessing for Rohit Sharma, who was becoming rather frustrating for Indian fans and for Indian selectors. His inability to get the runs on the board inspite of the oozing potential was put down to the lack of psychological strength that is required at the international level. Rohit Sharma, however, has turned the tables on his critics by performing at the most challenging position in the team batting order. If he continues his good run of form, India will be blessed with yet another successful and aesthetically pleasing batsman.
