Opening, the debate again

Sachin Tendulkar Ajay Jadeja MUMBAI, May 15: Sanat Jayasuriya and Romesh Kaluwitharana's batting approach may seem like an advert for t...

Sachin Tendulkar

Ajay Jadeja

MUMBAI, May 15: Sanat Jayasuriya and Romesh Kaluwitharana8217;s batting approach may seem like an advert for those turbo-powered cars 0 to 60 in five seconds flat. Exciting, adventurous, but risky as well.

In cricket, the appeal of an opening batsman is seldom valued in isolation. The two openers occupy, by far, the most important slots in the order. Consequently, weightage is always given to their combined worth in providing the innings a meaningful base on a consistent basis.

The question of opening batsmen comes into focus as the Sri Lankan team management is toying with the idea of splitting the Jayasuriya-Kalu duo. The Lankan rethinking is on progressive lines as Jayasuriya and Kalu have the lowest success rate a dismal average of 29.20 from the 34 times they have opened the innings out of the top 15 opening wicket pairs in all One-Day Internationals ODI.

In fact, the Lankans would be interested in noting that the three other teams in the Independence Cup fray have all very highly successful openers India8217;s Sachin Tendulkar-Saurav Ganguly averaging 60.66 from 10 ODIs, Pakistan8217;s Saeed Anwar-Shahid Afridi averaging 55.00 from five outings and New Zealand8217;s Nathan Astle and Bryan Young averaging 51.63 from 11 matches.

While it8217;s true that India have a successful opening combination in Tendulkar and Ganguly, a careful examination will reveal that India may be well served if Ajay Jadeja were to open the innings with Tendulkar. The question, at a time when Tendulkar and Ganguly served India well with a 169-run stand in the win over New Zealand on Wednesday, may seem a bit illogical, but not so under clinical observation.

History will acknowledge that the partnership forged by the West Indian pair of Gordon Greenidge and Desmond Haynes was one of the greatest in all times. The David Boon-Geoff Marsh was another highly respected formation. But both these association, and many more like the Aamir Sohail-Saeed Anwar and the Mark Taylor-Mark Waugh tandems, pale in comparison to the Tendulkar-Jadeja combine.

Tendulkar and Jadeja have an average of 59.77, which is the highest ever among the top 20 opening formations in the annals of ODI. The Indian team management may also be interested in noting that the five century stands that they have registered is bettered only by the Greenidge-Haynes and Boon-Marsh partnerships. In fact, the Indian pair have also seven half-century partnerships to their credit twelve 50-plus stands from 22 outings is a telling commentary.

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Jadeja is one of the fleet-footed members in the Indian team and this alacrity helps him in converting the ones into twos and the twos into threes with a good runner between the wickets like Tendulkar. Consequently it puts pressure on the fielding team.

Ganguly, in contrast, is not a good runner between wickets and has often landed himself or his partner in trouble with his hesitancy. The opening slot is also a position that has been thrust on him and the certitude that one sees in him as a middle-order is missing when he goes out at the start of the innings.

Jadeja, of course, has served well as a blazer in the slog-overs as he has proved effectively in recent times the World Cup quarter-finals against Pakistan at Bangalore, and the Titan Cup final and the Mohinder Amarnath benefit at Mumbai being a few examples. However, now that Vinod Kambli is back in the side, the end-innings acceleration can be taken care by the Mumbai southpaw.inning.

Food for thought for the Indian team management?