India’s opening woes

New Delhi- While there has been a lot of talk on how the inexperienced Indian bowling attack would have their tasks cut out in England; the Indian openers too have a conundrum of their own.

In the last 13 tests played overseas (2011-2014), India have only one 50 plus opening partnership which was between Abhinav Mukund and Gautam Gambhir (63), way back in the first test at Lords during India’s tour of England where they succumbed to a 4-0 defeat.

After that, their highest opening partnership was 49 between Rahul Dravid and Virender Sehwag in the 4th test of the same tour at the Kennigton Oval.

The matter has been heightened all the more as in the three innings which India have batted till now in England, the opening partnership average has been 31, which has exposed Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli  to the new ball early.

The subsequent tour to Australia, later in 2011, was no less worse. Out of the four tests, the highest opening partnership was 26 between Gautam Gambhir and Sehwag. Both of them failed to give any solid start and left the middle-order exposed to the new ball. Their opening partnership averaged a paltry 31.25 in the test series in which they failed to muster a single test win.    

With the fab four retiring and Sachin Tendulkar hanging his boots in November, India embarked on tours to South Africa and New Zealand with fresh blood in their ranks but failed to make a mark. Both Murali Vijay and Shikhar Dhawan were unable to get good starts and their highest opening stand among both the series was only 41 in the second test at Durban at South Africa. Their opening stand averaged 22.25 and 12.25 in South Africa and New Zealand respectively. 

In fact, India’s last opening partnership that crossed the hundred run mark, overseas, was in the 2010-2011 tour to South Africa. The feat was achieved by Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag during India’s second innings in the opening test at Centurion where they put up a stand of 137 for the first wicket.

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Series                                             1st wicket prtnshp avg          Highest partnership

India’s tour of England 2011                      39                                 49 (Sehwag and Dravid)   

(4 tests)

India’s tour of Australia 2011                   31.25                              26 (Gambhir and Sehwag)

(4 tests)  

India’s tour of South Africa 2013              43.50                               41 (Dhawan and Vijay)

(2 tests)

India’s tour of New Zealand 2014             24.50                               36 (Dhawan and Vijay)

(2 tests)

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Abhishek de