Sam Curran as an opener: Potential masterstroke or an unsuccessful gamble

There is a stark contrast between the England ODI and Test side. Ever since England’s exit in the 2015 Cricket World Cup after an ignominious defeat to Bangladesh, the team has changed its brand of cricket and played in a more aggressive manner. In 67 ODIs played by England since the 2015 WC, they have won a staggering 45 matches. This record along with their new brand of cricket under Eoin Morgan has made them one of the favorites to lift the CWC in 2019.

The Test team, on the other hand, do not have much of a record to showcase. But in the series against India, there has been a rising star. Sam Curran has made a name for himself, coming in tough situations and steering the team out of trouble. It was his all-round effort at Edgbaston that ensured England won the match. He was rightfully adjudged Player of the Match. He was dropped in the third test to make way for Ben Stokes. Many felt that Joe Root missed a trick, and it was better off, replacing Ollie Pope with Stokes. The consequence, England lost the match and gave India, much-needed confidence for the remainder of the series.

Come the 4th Test, it was again Sam Curran who came in once again when the team was on the ropes at 86/6 in the first innings and played a vital knock to steer England to 246. So far in this match, he has managed to get the wicket of Kohli and in the second innings is unbeaten on 37 with the bat. The 37 runs are like gold for England. England has consistently had a top-order batting collapse. Keaton Jennings and Alastair Cook have both struggled to find their form and are not able to set up a good foundation for the team at the top.

There is no doubt that the top order needs change. England have experimented and given a run to many of them, but no batsman was able to cement his position. Michael Carberry, Mark Stoneman, Keaton Jennings were amongst some of the batsmen who were given an extended run. Cook has been woefully out of form, but he is capable of producing a fine innings as he showed in the Ashes down-under.

In both the first and fourth match, Sam Curran has come in when the ball has been swinging around and the team was in dire straits. In such situations, he has always looked to attack the bowlers and get on top of them, and this has been the reason for his success. The Indians have not yet found out a way of negating his counter punches. It is his cool demeanor, yet attacking style which makes him very dangerous.

It is this feature that makes him a good candidate for an opener. Consider the case of Virender Sehwag from India. It was a gamble taken by Sourav Ganguly to move him up from the middle order to an opener. India has never looked back since and Sehwag turned out to be one of the most dangerous batsmen in test cricket. He could take the game away from the opposition if he stayed on the wicket for an hour. Sam Curran has a similar approach; his hand-eye coordination is exquisite and Root could possibly take a gamble promoting Curran to the top of the innings and leave Jennings out.

Teams from all over the world, over the years, have always produced attacking openers. Consider the likes of Marcus Trescothick, Mathew Hayden, Martin Guptill, Sehwag and many more. Having such batsmen at the crease in full flow keeps the scoreboard ticking and also allows the non-striker to play his natural game.

Cook is a batsman who likes to get set and play the patient innings. Once he is in, he can pile on the runs and it's almost impossible to get him out. Playing Curran at the top of the order, could compliment Cook’s approach and be the change that England need. If Ian Bell can indeed make a comeback at #3, Root then gets to bat at his favorite position of #4 and Bairstow at his favorite of #5. With Stokes and Buttler, post that, suddenly the batting looks complete. Depending on the conditions, England can then pick and choose between Woakes, Rashid and Ali with Anderson and Broad as the frontline bowlers. This could be a lethal combination for England. Surely after the series with India, the focus would shift to the Ashes in the summer of 2019.

Will Root and Bayliss gamble and push Curran to the top of the order? It is surely worth a gamble, and if it fails, Curran can then be pushed back down the order to his original batting position.