‘All’s well that starts well’… The openers are believed to play a vital role in the team’s progress in a test match as former Australian skipper Ian Chappell asserts that a good opener (and an attacking one at that) sets the tone for things to come. The top four test playing nations in the world do have attacking openers. Here’s a look at the openers of the top four test playing nations: · India Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir: Virender Sehwag is the epitome of endowment. The man is gifted with natural flair and wondrous hand-eye coordination. Being obstinate isn’t a good thing not least in the game of cricket. But, in Virender Sehwag’s case, it’s perhaps the best thing that happened to him. A man with unyielding focus and a deaf ear to those around him, his approach sometimes is difficult to understand albeit effective. Sehwag tries to smash bowlers out of the park even with one ball to go for Lunch. In spite of failing on several occasions, Sehwag’s approach never changes. In contrast to the flamboyance of Sehwag, Gambhir is quite sedate. But, that’s what seems to be the order of the day, an immaculate amalgamation of flamboyance on one side and taciturnity (when it comes to batting) on the other. The duo, after Sunil Gavaskar have been India’s most successful opening combination. Both of them have a staggering average of over 50 in test match cricket. India should owe their number one spot largely to the pair of Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir. Virender Sehwag---Tests – Average: 53.52, Strike Rate: 80.87 · South Africa Graeme Smith: Graeme Smith has been the only consistent one at the top of the order for the Proteas. After Herschelle Gibbs called it a day from the test arena, the opening place has been up for grabs and both Alviro Petersen and Ashwell Prince have tried to claim it. Nevertheless, since our focus is on attacking batsmen, Smith surely is one. With a strike rate of over 60 and an average in and around 50, smith is one of South Africa’s most potent assets. Graeme smith has never been someone pretty to watch, but it’s his unconventional play and wristy flicks that gets him those runs. Smith never fails to provide the innings with some impetus and lays a perfect platform for classics like Jacques Kallis and Hashim Amla to take the innings forward. Graeme Smith---Tests – Average: 49.99, Strike Rate: 60.55 · Australia Shane Watson and Simon Katich: Shane Watson, Australia’s blonde bombshell from the southern island of Queensland burst on to the test scene in 2005 but made the opening position his own recently with a series of 50’s in the 2009 Ashes series. Australia’s ‘nearly man’ has reached the score of 75+ on numerous occasions but has converted it to just one century. Watson, here is the offensive one and once in tries to impose himself on the opposition. Similar to former Australian opener Matthew Hayden, Watson doesn’t strike at over 50. Watson has played only 17 tests and it’s too premature too judge his credentials yet as an opening batsman. Nevertheless, we all know how aggressive Watson can be. Alongside Watson is Simon Katich, playing a role similar to his Indian counterpart, Gambhir. The Yin and Yang of batting the duo complement each other perfectly. Shane Watson made his debut in 2002 but a series of injuries kept him off the game and never let him exhibit his talent on the grandest stage of them all. However, Watson finally seems to have come out of the “rock bottom” stage of his career and is now blooming to be one of Australia’s finest all rounder’s. Watson and Katich have been imperative in Australia’s unbeaten summer this season as they have provided the perfect start for Ricky ponting and co. to capitalize on. Shane Watson---Tests—Average: 39.50, Strike Rate: 50.99. · Sri Lanka Tillakaratne Dilshan: Like smith, Dilshan has been the only consistent opener for the Sri Lankans off late. Dilshan made his test debut in 1999, but hasn’t come under the glare of the spotlight on the world stage ever since. He was a middle order batsman for the Lankans and used to nurdle it around a wee-bit before bowling his gentle off breaks. Dilshan was always Sri Lanka’s asset in the field. But, that wasn’t just enough. His real potential was discovered in the T20 world cup 2009 in England where he shone as an opener leading to his promotion as opener in the test arena as well. Since then, he has never looked back. Dilshan smashed a century against the black caps at home in his first test as opener. Dilshan with his unorthodoxy and drives on the up through the covers has won the adulation of all connoisseurs of the game and is now a formidable batsman, respected greatly by the opposition teams. Like the others he too provides the perfect foil for elegant class acts like Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara to cash on. Tillakaratne Dilshan--- Tests—Average: 43.42, Strike Rte: 64.47.
Obviously openers alone cannot be the story of a team, and it is vital that teams have solid players to come as well. This is the answer to the Critics’ argument about why the Windies aren’t a good test outfit in spite of having a powerful opener in Chris Gayle who has a wonderful record. Openers are not the be all and end all of a team. Nevertheless they do provide the start that invariably decides how the test goes. |
