India's problems begin from the top!

The middle order of India’s batting line-up has been the focus of all the criticism in the last couple of months. Amidst this chatter, an aspect of India’s success over the last decade or so - the opening has been a bit neglected. Yes the middle order deserves all the flak and resurrection in that department should be executed with priority but you cannot overlook the constant failure of the openers to deliver what is expected of them. Sehwag & Gambhir has been India’s best opening combine in terms of runs and also the longest serving duo. When you have the same pair at the top, you either don’t have too many options or they are doing too well to disturb; 23 opening stands of 50 or more & 10 stands of 100+ out of 76 outings is a reasonable stat and should endorse the latter view. Dissect that stat a bit and a few creepy things crop up. The duo has managed to provide an opening stand of 100 or more only on 3 occasions out of 34 times they have gone out to open the batting on away tours; the partnership average outside India drops down to 43.87 from the overall average of 53.95.

Yes the opening pair’s failure to perform cannot be the only reason for India’s dismal show in the last 7 away tests, but indeed a big factor in India’s ability to counter the tough conditions. Adelaide (2003), Multan (2004), Nottingham (2007), Perth (2008), Colombo (2010), Durban (2010) are highlights of India’s famous away wins over the last decade. A common thread which knits all these wins together is a firm opening stand. In each case it isn’t a 100-run first wicket stand but in the total context of the game an immense contribution to the team cause. In the last 7 tests, in which India has faced humiliating defeats, the openers have put up merely 241 runs at 17.21, featuring only one 50+ stand. The openers in the side are expected to see off the new ball and make it easy for the middle order. In the last 14 innings, India’s opening pair has batted merely 78 over’s i.e. about 5.3 overs per inning! These are startling figures and underline those thoughts which advocate for the reincarnation of the opening batsmen.

Now let us move over to the individuals who form the duo at the top. Gambhir was thought of as India’s formidable batsman at the top when he set out in 2004. His technique has been found wanting in unfamiliar conditions and his numbers reflect that. Gambhir’s average away from home (excluding Bangladesh & Zimbabwe) is 42.93 with only 2 tons (both against New Zealand). 30 innings (outside India) is too short a span to judge a player, but given his struggles in most conditions it would be safe to say that he hasn’t justified the expectations of him. He has displayed glimpses of grit, patience and concentration but there hasn’t been consistency to that. While many believe he is the perfect foil to Sehwag, his woes in tackling the new ball have added to the team’s problem.

Virender Sehwag has been around for 10 years and has donned the India cap in about 100 test matches. He has been too inconsistent for an opening batsman with so rich experience, but most of his inconsistency has been masked by his phenomenal ability to win matches on his own. In innings when he has scored a ton, his average is 184.71 at an outstanding strike rate of 83.07. 17 out of his 22 tons haven’t resulted in India losing the match. Then are we worrying about his form suddenly? In the last 12 months, Sehwag’s batting average has been 26.93 with only 4 fifties in 15 innings and a strike rate of 79.13, a tad below his career strike rate. While we are waiting (infinitely) for the 100^th ton from Sachin, nobody has noticed that Sehwag has gone without a 3-figure knock for the last 24 innings. Sehwag’s rate of scoring a 50 or more is 3.17 innings and this has rose to 3.75 in the last 12 months. A fifty or a hundred in test cricket doesn’t imply a quality knock but in case of Sehwag it provides a very informative observation. Whenever Sehwag has scored less than 50, which is 113 times out of 165 career knocks, his average is 19.26. This suggests that Sehwag is man who gets too many pretty 20s & 30s and not converting them too frequently. 68.48% of career knocks at an average below 20 is a fair indicator of what most critics refer Sehwag’s batting to - inconsistency.

India has big decisions to execute over the next couple of years: phasing out seniors, fluxing in replacements, finding the right combinations at the right positions and extracting the most of the available resources. Sehwag has expressed in the past about his desire to bat in the middle order, maybe post retirements of the legends he could be pushed down the order for the last phase of his career. That could give India experience in the middle and Sehwag the freedom and opportunity to play against the first and second change bowlers. Sehwag, however good he has been in the past, is struggling against the new ball at the moment. Thus he isn’t providing the impetus at the start and neither wearing off the new ball, so very necessary for typical opening batsmen. He never had text-book like footwork to counter the swinging ball, but in his own merry way he went about scoring runs. In the last 12 months when the team has travelled to South Africa, England & Australia, Sehwag’s flaws have been unmasked. The team cannot let the proceedings flow in the same vein, high time the openers are pushed to deliver. Gambhir should have been on shaky ground with the performances in the last year or so, but with not much pressure from the fringe players he has got the time to breathe and get opportunities to find his touch. Thus while we go after Laxman and others in the middle order, we shouldn’t forget that our opening pair is struggling as well!