Let Gambhir open with Sehwag, not Tendulkar
Posted on Nov 24, 2008 at 11:40 | Updated Nov 24, 2008 at 17:04
35 Comments
Bangalore: Even as rain shortened the fourth One-Day International in Bangalore there was one talking point. Sachin Tendulkar's return to the Indian ODI team wasn't a raging success, prompting the question if he should be demoted in the order to keep the successful partnership of Sehwag and Gambhir intact.
Sachin Tendulkar, struggling on his return to the Indian one-day mix, was removed by Stuart Broad for just 11 after a few scratchy minutes at the crease. And his soft dismissal left many to wonder if his position in the batting order should be reconsidered. India's former pace spearhead Javagal Srinath says: "Sachin is not the same age now, may be he should think." The debate only gathers storm on the evidence of what happened once Tendulkar departed from the stage in Bangalore.
Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir batted as they have in the last few months -- finding the boundary and running hard between the wickets for yet another half-century plus stand. They average 60 as an opening pair and reuniting them at the top of the order is a question for the team management to grapple with.
Tendulkar plays one-day cricket selectively these days. So although his one-day record as an opener is beyond compare, many feel his experience must now be used to shepherd a relatively inexperienced middle order, till what many see as the point he can call it quits. Also, Tendulkar is desperate to win the 2011 World Cup, saying number of occasions that the World Cup is the only tournament they have not won.
Tendulkar did lead India to the tri-series victory in Australia by batting brilliantly as an opener in the finals. So he can still very much get the job done. But the question faces the Indian team now is if the balance of this team demands another role of the master batsman.
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Total Comments: 35
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Posted By ramcbb
You cannot judge by one failure mate... Nobody questioned when Sachin and Sourav's great opening partnership was broken when Sehwag
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Posted By anu_seniorsfan
i just want to remind mr ashik that sehwag and gambhir hav proved to b successful openers only on flat
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Posted By stuae
Mr. Ramanath Soooooomu, How long u are watching cricket. Sachin don\'t like to play in the 20/20 matches except the
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Posted By pvsswamy
This is not stupidity. Its for the betterment of the team.
Did not Ganguly sacrificed his opening slot at
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Posted By ahalya1986
FYI, Tendulkar doesnt play T20 cricket. He is not a part of the national T20 team. He only plays for
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