About opening the innings, Indian legend Sunil Gavaskar has often referred to the old but ever-relevant adage -- give the first hour to the bowlers, and the next five hours will be yours. In simple terms, it means batting patiently for the first session, not giving the bowlers too much chance of a breakthrough. This is one area where India have been struggling for a while now, and is one of the key reasons why they have fared poorly on away tours. Unless that changes in Australia this time, there is every chance of India faltering again, and that too rather embarrassing.
India have chosen three openers for the series, and the performance of all will be closely followed. On current form and experience Shikhar Dhawan and Murali Vijay will be the first-choice openers. Of them, the left-hander will be under greater pressure even though he has tasted success in the home series against Sri Lanka. The good run at home will count for little though when he opens Down Under. Dhawan failed to make any significant scores in South Africa and England. Thus, his technique and temperament will be under the scanner in Australia. In many ways, this might prove to be a do-or-die series for Dhawan, in wake of his poor previous away record.
Vijay has now become the more established of the two openers. Having said that, he too has a point of prove in Australia. Vijay batted well in South Africa to rescue his international career, which was at the fringes. At the same time, he showed excellent resolve and technique in England where most other batsmen, barring Ajinkya Rahane, struggled. However, that was only limited to the first two Tests. In the next three matches, even Vijay failed to come up with the goods. His consistency thus will be under test in the matches Down Under. The conditions will be different in Australia from what they were in England. Thus, a different challenge awaits Vijay.
Rookie Lokesh Rahul has been chosen as the back-up opener. Rahul has had a fantastic domestic season, and it was also a foregone conclusion that he would be on the plane to Australia. It would be a tough initiation for Rahul, as playing in Australia is one of the toughest challenges in international cricket. But, if he succeeds on the tour, it will give him the kind of confidence that might help kick-start a wonderful career. Rahul has toured Australia before with the A team a couple of seasons back. And, even though he didn't have great returns, the experience will definitely come in handy. Either ways, it will be a key tour for Rahul.
If India can find a stable opening pair in Australia, it will definitely go a long way in the visitors performing well on the tour. It has been a long time since India have had a good opening partnership away from home. In fact, their last 50-run opening partnership in away conditions was way back in 2011, and that too against a weak West Indian side. If such performances continue, there is no reason why Glenn McGrath's prediction of a 4-0 whitewash in favour of Australia will not come true. The time has come for India to 'open' a new window of opportunities. About time.
--By A Cricket Analyst
