Indian One-Day Opener in Sachin's Absence?

[adharcric]

Since Tendulkar will be sidelined through the triangular one-day series with Sri Lanka and West Indies, Sehwag will need a new opening partner. Who should it be?

Sourav Ganguly: former one-day opener and accomplished batsman, experiencing a patch of terrible form at the moment, playing county cricket with Glamorgan

Mahendra Singh Dhoni: showed signs of brilliance against Pakistan, explosive batsman who would provide a dangerous opening pair for India, praised by Greg Chappell

Gautham Gambhir: current test opener, solid in the shorter version of the game at the domestic level, not given many opportunities during his earlier ODI stint, has potential

Which of these seems like the best option? Or someone else?

 

[Dasa]

I think it should (and probably will) be Ganguly and Sehwag opening.

 

[Arjun]

It should be Gautam Gambhir or Dheeraj Jadhav (tough call) or any other Test prospect. Especially Gambhir.

 

[Arjun]

Sourav Ganguly: former one-day opener and accomplished batsman, experiencing a patch of terrible form at the moment, playing county cricket with Glamorgan

Not just in terrible form, but he can't field or run between wicket- these days, he's a liability on the Indian one-day side and would NEVER make a top team.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni: showed signs of brilliance against Pakistan, explosive batsman who would provide a dangerous opening pair for India, praised by Greg Chappell

Never. That may result in instability at the top, and ccut out one big-hitting option in the side, since both big hitters are at the top. Moreover, a Times of India article said that Dhoni may tone down his style to help Sehwag- that's terrible news, because he may have to abandon his natural game- sure-shot recipe for disaster.

 

[adharcric]

i only mentioned dhoni as an option because i read about it somewhere ...

 

[adharcric]

What do you think of the following lineup? (1-7)
Sehwag
Gambhir/Ganguly
Laxman/Kaif
Dravid
Kaif/Laxman
Dhoni
Yuvraj

problem is .. with sachin out, the need for an all-rounder to strengthen the bowling department becomes even more apparent as sehwag and yuvi may not suffice ..
yadav or powar??

 

[Arjun]

i only mentioned dhoni as an option because i read about it somewhere ...

Was it the Times of India? You may have noticed he said he'd tone himself down (not that it made any difference, he scored a rapid double century in 126 balls), so I had mentioned it.

Your lineup- The last thing the Indian team needs is a batsman at seven. He has an average to play ffor, else he's not playing fully to his selection- look at Yuvraj and Kaif. IF he has to play for figures, the Indians will miss out on big shots in the final overs. That Number 7 slot should be occupied by a non-batsman, with good four-and-six hitting ability. The best bets are Pathan, Powar, JP Yadav and Sharma, but the coach needs to use them properly. If you have read the article on the lack of all-rounders in India (which is pinching them hard), you'll notice that coaches don't use them well, nor are conditions helping them. Not only do plans have to change at the top, but have to go down all the way to school level- at least then, you won't face the same problem later on.

 

[Deja moo]

he made a double century in 126 balls ??

 

[Arjun]

he made a double century in 126 balls ??

Some P Sen Memorial tournament. It made today's Times of India.

 

[masterblaster]

I'd have Ganguly and Sehwag as my primary choice. Ganguly's a fine ODI batsman and primarily an opener and a very successful one at that. I'd still have him in the side even if his bowling and fielding are dismal.

Although that being said, I am a Gambhir supporter and I hope he gets a few games opening for India alongside Sehwag.

 

[Arjun]

Ganguly's a fine ODI batsman

He was, until R&D got the better of him.

and primarily an opener and a very successful one at that.

Not an opener- just a pinch-hitter- you wouldn't have him opening a first-class match, for some reasons- The very same reasons why he shouldn't open in ODI's now.

I'd still have him in the side even if his bowling and fielding are dismal.

The side hasn't won too many tournaments, and won't win any in the near future, and may stay at number 8 for a lot longer. There's nothing special about Ganguly, and he's clearly past his best. He may come back with a few runs, but that won't result in a tournament victory- it means nothing now. A superior one-day batsman doesn't just come with a heavy average- he has several other skills as well.

Although that being said, I am a Gambhir supporter and I hope he gets a few games opening for India alongside Sehwag.

We agree on something here, but I do hope he gets a lot more than just a few.

 

[Arjun]

yadav or powar??

Both, for the time being. Keep one at seven, the other at eight. Keep them for two years (or so), until the Pathan brothers and Joginder get more FC/A-team experience. I only hope they don't end up like Shukla, Sodhi or Vidyut- all three were promising young all-rounders, but they were not brought up properly, and have become innocuous, insignificant specialists these days. Flawed training patterns have been the culprit all along.

 

[marc71178]

Not just in terrible form, but he can't field or run between wicket- these days, he's a liability on the Indian one-day side and would NEVER make a top team.Never.

But this is the Indian side

(note to all I am only joking)

 

[Arjun]

But this is the Indian side

(note to all I am only joking)

That I SERIOUSLY doubt, given all your comments on the Indian Test and ODI team.

And read the line- TOP team- forget the term Indian. Maybe we're on the same side this time.

 

[12th Man]

how about Aakash Chopra, how do you Indians view him?

 

[Arjun]

how about Aakash Chopra, how do you Indians view him?

Chopra had done well as an A-team opener in OD's, with an average of 47 in six matches. However, since he played for India in Tests, he's been blocking and leaving too many deliveries, and now can't even make the Delhi starting lineup. No doubt a good choice, but at this stage, he's one too many, with Sehwag, Gambhir and Jadhav being the top three. Moreover, will he be able to come back from those setbacks of that disastrous series against Australia? He'll first have to get a game for Delhi.

 

[marc71178]

That I SERIOUSLY doubt, given all your comments on the Indian Test and ODI team.

What, because I don't subscribe to the extreme hyping that goes on, that mean's I'm automatically against them?

 

[King_Ponting]

Akash Copra...... one day cricket?????? Huh i cant believe those 2 were used in the same sentence. Is this the same Akash Copra that took over 300 deliverys to score a hundred in Test cricket and has a test strike rate of less than 34??? Akash Copra one day cricket ...... i dont think so

 

[Arjun]

What, because I don't subscribe to the extreme hyping that goes on, that mean's I'm automatically against them?

The least you could do is indicate skepticism, rather than go to the other extreme.

Akash Copra...... one day cricket?????? Huh i cant believe those 2 were used in the same sentence. Is this the same Akash Copra that took over 300 deliverys to score a hundred in Test cricket and has a test strike rate of less than 34??? Akash Copra one day cricket ...... i dont think so

First of all, Akash Chopra never scored a Test century. He used to be a good limited-overs batsman till his Test debut, where he had to play a mere ball-blunting role which did absolutely no justice to his ability. If you look at his limited-overs average for North Zone and especially the A-team, you'd be quite surprised. Of course, he's not really a good choice at present, if he can't make a Delhi OD side.

 

[King_Ponting]

My mistake. I just remeber Copra from when he toured Australia last time India were here. He took an age to score runs and just blocked nearly everyball. From what i've seen of Copra i cant believe that his name is even being thrown up for the one day arena