"I want a defensive partner"

[Arjun]

This is the latest on the Indian Test opening soap opera.

"I want a defensive partner"-Sehwag
He's clearly not too happy with this new change. He'll still have to stay with it, though. Not the best choice as opener, he still got that great 309 against a Pakistani attack with Shoaib and Sami. He can bat well anywhere. Yuvraj is a better player against a ball coming at a good pace on the bat, but not so much against the spinners. Hence he may be a good choice for opening the innings.

But what has Chopra done wrong? He did not get too many runs, but he got those 100+ partnerships, and even 2 50's. If they told him to score runs, he would have got more. Instead, they just told him to blunt the ball. What else can he do? He is definitely the best FC opener in India and he has got a raw deal. Worse, the Indians have got back to opening with misfits, and luckily, Parthiv actually got a 50, but I won't be surprised if he gets out for several low scores as opener. What next? Nehra for opener? I don't mind Yuvraj as opener, but they should not have discarded Chopra the way they did.

Another opener who can be tried in future is Chopra's Delhi partner Gautam Gambhir. He has a few big hundreds and is a dangerous player when he gets going, so he should get a chance against Bangladesh or in the Asia Cup or the Holland/Singapore ODI series. There are several other good openers in India who can be tried. Why push in middle-order players to open? And why tailenders?

 

[Tim]

I cannot believe they've axed Chopra..he was the perfect foil to Sehwag.
But in a team where players score 100's in quick time..obviously a player who scores 50 off about 230 balls isn't good enough.

India play high-risk cricket sometimes with their batting & I thought Chopra balanced the side up nicely.

 

[Mr. P]

I watched Chopra when he came over to Australia, very good technique, very big potential and he did nothing wrong and has done nothing wrong since. Im disappointed.

 

[Arjun]

But in a team where players score 100's in quick time..obviously a player who scores 50 off about 230 balls isn't good enough.

They tell him to blunt the new ball, so he does that. But he's not that kind of opener, he can score runs. He had a first-class average of 55 before debut and had got several big scores. If they told him to score more runs, he could have done that. Besides, except for Sehwag, and probably Yuvraj, none of the others really score that quickly these days, though an aggressive Rahul Dravid makes Sehwag look defensive.

 

[Neil Pickup]

had a first-class average of 55 before debut and had got several big scores.

So did Wasim Jaffer.

 

[chicane]

This certainly is bad news for all those specialist openers hoping to get in, they are all good (Akash Chopra, Gautam Gambhir, Sadagoppan Ramesh, Wasim Jaffer, SS Das etc). But I think this may work. Chopra did very well but he should have been able to score more freely once he was settled. In Matthew Hayden and Justin Langer, Australia have two attacking and hugely succesful openers. Guess this move is taking a cue from that. Chopra performed admirably, but Yuvraj is too talented to be left out of the team, and especially after his under-pressure ton in Lahore, he deserves a chance ahead of Chopra.

 

[masterblaster]

Chopra has done much better than Wasim Jaffer Neil.

If anybody watched the series between Australia and India they'd realise how good Chopra did play, and how numbers dont really matter all that much all the time.

 

[Neil Pickup]

Chopra has done much better than Wasim Jaffer Neil.

If anybody watched the series between Australia and India they'd realise how good Chopra did play, and how numbers dont really matter all that much all the time.

I'm aware of that. Devil's Advocacy

 

[masterblaster]

Chopra and Sehwag are the 'ideal' perfect opening pair really. But this isn't an ideal world.

If Sourav Ganguly weren't such a good captain, Yuvraj and dare I say Chopra would be playing in the same XI.

 

[ReallyCrazy]

MB, it's not just because of captaincy that sourav is in the team. He is a good batter...probably not the best, but still good.

There are a lot of traditional openers waiting to get in but Yuvraj deserves this chance. You talk about chopra getting a raw deal, but so did Ramesh. Sometimes, players do get a raw deal but thats inevitable. There are only 11 spots in the team and the best player has to be selected. IMO, Yuvraj opening is going to be a great move. When Ganguly got Sehwag to open, at first, ppl were against that. But Sehwag has proved to be a big success. Yuvraj will be good too.

 

[EnglishRose]

If Yuvraj does get the nod ahead of Chopra, I think Chopra can feel abit hard done by.

Granted he has a problem converting starts into bigger scores but he only played a handful of matches -- he deserved some more chances.

The Yuvraj more IMO will either backfire bigtime or it will add more fireworks to an already explosive batting lineup.

 

[marc71178]

But I think this may work.

I think it's a shocking move - teams need grafters.

Chopra did very well but he should have been able to score more freely once he was settled.

Or he could have been told to bat around the men at the other end.

In Matthew Hayden and Justin Langer, Australia have two attacking and hugely succesful openers.

Who are openers by trade, rather than converted middle order players.

Guess this move is taking a cue from that. Chopra performed admirably, but Yuvraj is too talented to be left out of the team, and especially after his under-pressure ton in Lahore, he deserves a chance ahead of Chopra.

If Yuvraj isn't good enough to get a spot in his proper position, how is he "too talented to leave out" seeing as there's others that are better?

 

[luckyeddie]

So much of this nonsense is about 'accelerating the game'. Sure, it's going to come off now and again - but the reason teams have specialist openers is to stop it going from 'play' to 6-2 in a couple of overs too often.

Hey, go for it I say.

 

[Raj123]

If Yuvraj isn't good enough to get a spot in his proper position, how is he "too talented to leave out" seeing as there's others that are better?

i guess the problem is yuvraj should get in at no. 5 (if only cricketing skills are considered) but its occupied by the captain(who cant be removed yet).

 

[V Reddy]

Well atleast Sanjay Bangar is not forgotten though i doubt whether he will make return. He was dumped after that NZ series where almost every batsman failed. He bowled well too in that series.

 

[chicane]

I think it's a shocking move - teams need grafters.

But Ganguly thinks he's got what it takes, and he thought the same about Sehwag. The decision to get Sehwag to open got similar reactions, but how well it has worked. Ian Chappel couldn't stop praising Ganguly for it. He obviously can judge ability well.

Or he could have been told to bat around the men at the other end.

But even then he got a little too bogged down, didn't even pick up singles. He deserves more chances but Yuvraj has to be tried out.

Who are openers by trade, rather than converted middle order players.

But such players have been sucessful too....Sehwag, Richardson etc.

If Yuvraj isn't good enough to get a spot in his proper position, how is he "too talented to leave out" seeing as there's others that are better?

Till he's tried out at the opening spot it's not possible to tell whether he's worse or can't do the job. He obviously has tremendous ability.

 

[chicane]

So much of this nonsense is about 'accelerating the game'. Sure, it's going to come off now and again - but the reason teams have specialist openers is to stop it going from 'play' to 6-2 in a couple of overs too often.

Hey, go for it I say.

Sehwag is very attacking, yet in the first hour or so he's always cautious. It's not like they forget what an opener's role is. Yuvraj has to be tried out.

 

[Arjun]

Bangar is actually a bowler who can bat. In seaming conditions (Oval, Headingley, Basin Reserve), he has bowled well, given he lacked pace. His line-and-length bowling is what will make him useful, but his batting is not good enough to pick him as a top-6 batsman.

Ramesh has no footwork. That explains why he got out so early so many times, in precarious positions.

Das lacked power. So much for staying at the crease, how about scoring runs.

Jaffer is better, since he attacks more, but he leaves a wide gap between bat and padand he can't handle the moving ball well.

 

[masterblaster]

Jaffer, Samant, Powar?

May I be detecting some Mumbai bias here Arjun?
Albeit, not much bias, but ever slight Mumbai bias?

 

[Arjun]

Jaffer, Samant, Powar?

May I be detecting some Mumbai bias here Arjun?
Albeit, not much bias, but ever slight Mumbai bias?

My picks from Mumbai-

1. Sachin
2. Powar
3. Samant
4. Agarkar (except as strike bowler)
5. Salvi (when fit)
6. Jaffer (not serious)

I am also a big fan of the Northern teams, since they too play very competitive cricket and are well built. I also support (believe it or not) Railways, since these are players who don't get jobs elsewhere and stay in tough conditions, so they are resilient players and they also use both skills. The TN players have talent, but are not the most aggressive. I also support Baroda, since they have produced some aggressive fast bowlers.

That's what I can say about Mumbai bias. It stays with Sachin, Powar, Salvi and Samant (at least in ODI exhibition series).