England vs India 2018, Talking Point: Why Indian openers will be under tremendous pressure

A lot has been said about the Indian opening combination for the upcoming five-match Test series against England. Three batsmen - Murali Vijay, Shikhar Dhawan and KL Rahul have been vying for the two opening slots but the picture, as of now, is not yet clear and few can guess what skipper Virat Kohli and the team management would go ahead with.

Irrespective of who gets the nod in the playing XI, it is common knowledge that the Indian batsmen, especially the openers, will find the going tough.

Sportskeeda expert and former Indian opener himself, who has played in 19 Tests and 24 ODIs for India, Sadagoppan Ramesh opened up on why the Indian openers will be under tremendous pressure and which factors could play their part in determining how the top two batsmen fare in the Test series.

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Openers key for team's success

With wickets fresh at the start of the Test series, swing bowlers in England can wreak havoc. Overcast conditions and grass on the wickets make the ball swing prodigiously and that could become a nightmare for any opening batsman.

Highlighting that fact, Ramesh opined that the first two innings of any Test series are the most important. It helps the batsman get acclimatized to the conditions and if even one of the two innings turns out to be successful, he can carry that confidence throughout the series.

According to the former Indian batsman, the bowl will swing a lot and thus the openers will be under tremendous pressure.

"I think Vijay is technically one of the best players in the Indian team. But for every player, their first two innings of the series, how they start is the most important, even for Virat Kohli. And openers are going to have tremendous pressure in England. Any Tom, Dick and Harry can swing the ball in England and if that (Tom, Dick and Harry) becomes a good bowler, it's going to swing a lot."

Leaving cannot be planned

It is widely believed that Murali Vijay is one player in the team who can frustrate the bowler by leaving everything outside the off stump when the ball is swinging dangerously in the first session. Ramesh, however, being an opener himself, believes that one could not plan to leave beforehand.

Even if the team management chalks out a plan where Vijay has to leave most of the deliveries in the first session to frustrate the bowlers and make them bowl closer to the middle stump, Ramesh thinks that if the ball is there to be hit, the batsman should go for it.

"Leaving cannot be planned. It's after the delivery of the ball that you decide if it should be left or not. Vijay cannot be used to leave the ball and frustrate the bowlers. If it is there to be hit, hit the ball."

New ball bowlers will give it all

Lancashire Second XI v Nottinghamshire Second XI

The conditions in England are heavily favoured towards swing bowlers and thus it's but obvious that they would go all-in from ball one. The new ball and swinging conditions mean the batsmen are not left with enough reaction time against a fast bowler.

Our expert is of a similar view and believes that the English bowlers will be at it from ball one, making life difficult for the Indian openers.

"I've seen a lot of people sitting on a couch and saying that he should have left the ball or he should have played it. The reaction time for a new ball from a fast bowler is very less, in that split second I have to decide whether to play the ball or leave it or hit a shot. And the ball is going to swing a lot and especially if you are batting first on the first day, the wickets are fresh, then the bowlers will come and give it all."

First session crucial for openers

2nd Sunfoil Test: South Africa v India, Day 2

The first session of a Test match is the most important for both the sides, bowling and batting. A good start gives the team a much-needed push to drive through the five days and finish on the winning side.

On abroad trips, especially, early jitters get the better of batsmen sometimes and that ends up shaping up the rest of the series for the visiting team. Therefore, the first session is of utmost importance and if the openers go through that period, when the ball is swinging heavily, it's all uphill from there.

"When you talk about abroad trips, the most key players are openers. Because every team wants good starts, whether you're bowling or batting. If you're bowling you want two-three wickets before lunch, when you're batting you don't want to lose 2-3 wickets before lunch. That extra pressure is going to be there for openers but I'm sure they'll come out in flying colours," Ramesh concluded.