Who will open for India?

A much anticipated series is imminent; India vs Australia starts tomorrow. While it is quite obvious that this series does not have the malice of old, it is a compelling contest nonetheless. India is in transition, or so we would like to believe. Australia is in transition as well, or so we, as Indians, hope.

Gambhir, for the first time in quite a while, will not be lining up alongside Sehwag to open the innings. That leaves one of the most important questions that could well shape this series. The start, as is quite widely acknowledged, is the most important. A good start, especially one in which Sehwag gets off to a flier, changes the entire complexion of the game, and it is a given that Sehwag will start. The bigger question, however, is who will open alongside him. There are two choices at hand, on the face of it. However, I believe there just might be three.

Shikhar Dhawan

If the replacement for Gambhir is to be like-for-like, then it must be Dhawan who is to be selected. The left-right combination will be kept in tact, and Dhawan, being from Delhi, will have some sort of a rapport with Sehwag. However, he is still quite unproven at the top level, and his temperament might not really be up to it. Then again, he has been amongst the runs in the recent past, and his confidence might well be quite high.

Murali Vijay

For a while now, he has been the designated number-three number-one, if you like. On more occasions than not, he has been the first standby for Sehwag and Gambhir, and hence knows what it is to be around the squad. Also, he has been a part of the Indian team against Australia in Test matches in the past, and that experience might well stand him in good stead. He averages about 47 against Australia at home, and that might tilt the scales in his favour. He has been scoring runs in the very recent past as well, and that might well cancel out the advantage Dhawan has. His technique, in the recent past, has also shown more compactness, and that was the one area of his game that he really needed to tighten up, for his talent is unquestionable.

Ajinkya Rahane

There have been quite a few jokes doing the rounds about Rahane and the warm bench. However, perhaps it is time that the diminutive right hander is given a chance. While most of the thinking seems to be of him playing at number 6 instead of Jadeja, perhaps, the team management might set the cat amongst the pigeons by letting him open the innings. It will indeed be a bold decision, but perhaps it will pay off. Rahane does have the technique to open.

In the end, it will be a toss up between Dhawan and Vijay, in my view. I do not think, for the first test at least, that Rahane will be in contention. Perhaps Sehwag will misfire, and two of these three will open in the subsequent games. The answer is a few hours away.

My pick: Murali Vijay to open at Chepauk.