Sehwag and Gambhir (below) have not only succeeded as an opening pair but have shown a certain degree of consistency. Besides, their multi-faceted skill sets make them a great asset to Team India.
Ever since Sunil Gavaskar, the legendary opening batsman, retired from international cricket, the net was cast far and wide to get a settled opening pair. In a career spanning over a decade and a half, Gavaskar walked out with different partners for most part of his career except when Chauhan and Srikkanth were around.
It is hard to remember an opening pair surviving for more than a couple of seasons and the reasons for that are far too many. However, in recent times Sehwag has made the No.1 slot own and now he seems to have struck the right chord with Gambhir to make them a formidable pair.
Sehwag was left out for a while and since he made his comeback in Australia during the early part of the year, it was always a matter of who was going to partner him. Gambhir has gradually developed as the right foil for Sehwag and the recent double century at the Kotla has only re-emphasised the point.
The diminutive left hander made his presence felt in the T-20 World Championship but there were some serious doubts about his ability to be entrusted with the job in Test cricket.
A few scores followed a century in Bangladesh but Gambhir failed to convert his starts into something substantial and this was seen as a flaw but all the doubts dissipated when Gambhir batted over a day and a half to torment the Australian attack at the Ferozeshah Kotla.
The flamboyance was curbed as India lost a couple of early wickets and Gambhir proved beyond any reasonable doubt that he belongs to the Test arena. Gambhir is an advantage in the sense that Sehwag happens to be a regular partner when they both play for Delhi and besides, Gambhir just has to be smart enough not to indulge in excessive aggression as Sehwag’s natural style is taking the attack into the opposition camp.
It always helps when you walk out with someone you are familiar with as you get overawed by the fact that you are playing international cricket.
Moreover, the remarkable aspect about Gambhir and Sehwag is that they understand each other well as cricketers. They make the most of their advantage being a left right combination by picking up singles when they get bogged down. This results in the bowlers having to change their line frequently and that is not possible for even the best of bowlers and attacks to do at will.
This was evident in the Tests between India and Australia as the visitors failed to get their line right whenever India had a left-right combination at the crease.
Now that Gambhir has found the right formula to adopt in Test cricket, he has to realise he has a very crucial role to play for his team. Being a left hander, his stay at the crease will be critical as he can disconcert the bowlers as he also can play shots as well as graft if the situation demands.
After the success that Gambhir and Sehwag had in Sri Lanka it was obvious that they would continue for sometime without being disturbed. With Gambhir enjoying outstanding success against Australia, the search is over as far the opening pair is concerned at least temporarily.
The Delhi boys have provided rousing starts in recent times and that has made it relatively easy for the middle order to consolidate. Gambhir and Sehwag approach their task with the aggressive intent that the Aussies are famous for but the consistency with which they have dominated the attack is remarkable. The one pitfall that Gambhir would do well to avoid is not to try and keep up with Sehwag as Sehwag has been around for a longer period and he has played the best of international bowlers more frequently.
With middle order likely to sport a new look in the next year or so, the efficiency of the opening pair becomes extremely important. Cricket lovers have seen how well Sehwag and Gambhir have responded in the recent months and they can only get better in the future.
The best thing that has happened is that the ICC has laid down guidelines with regard to the quality of pitches and that has discouraged teams in the Sub Continent to dish square turners. As a result the make shift opener will not come into the equation unlike it was in the early 90’s. Sehwag and Gambhir can rest assured that their combination will not be disturbed in order to cater to the team’s needs that arise when matches are played on square turners.
Gambhir and Sehwag have proved to be extremely adept, as they have done well in all forms of the game, which unfortunately one cannot say about either Ramesh-Das or Sehwag-Chopra combination.
The long wait is over as both Sehwag and Gambhir have not only succeeded but have shown a certain degree of consistency. Besides, their multi-faceted skill sets make them a great asset to Team India and hopefully they will continue to wrest the initiative for their team more often than not.
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