Gambhir is the best opener India has had after Gavaskar: Sehwag

By Rahul Bajaj
for Cricketain.com

Published: November 25, 2009

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Kanpur: Virender Sehwag may himself be considered one of the best opening batsmen India has produced. His average of over 50 in test cricket only confirms that fact. But when asked who he thought was the best opening batsmen India has ever seen, he was quick to praise his Delhi teammate and opening partner for India, Gautam Gambhir, saying that he is by far the best opening batsman India has seen since the great Sunil Gavaskar.

Gambhir slammed his fourth successive century in four tests on the opening day of the second test match against Sri Lanka at Kanpur. Sehwag himself scored a swashbuckling 131 off 122 balls but the dashing opener was of the view that Gambhir has every chance of scoring another ton in the next game.

“He (Gambhir) is best opener India had after Gavaskar. He has hit four successive Test centuries and already has eight Test centuries in 25-30 Tests. I think with the kind of form he is in, he can slam a ton in the next Test as well,” Sehwag said after India piled on 417 for two on the opening day. “He was in good form and hitting well. So we were still scoring at over three and his boundaries took the pressure off me and I could wait before playing my shots.”

One thing which was visible to everyone who was watching the game was the frequent conversations that Gambhir and Sehwag were having whenever Gambhir was playing a rash shot. Asked what he was telling his partner, Sehwag said, “I told him to think big. You are good enough to score four successive centuries. Stay three hours and you will automatically get a hundred.”

Sehwag said India are in a very good position and would now be looking to build on the brilliant start and pile up 700 plus runs on the second day and then try to put enough pressure on Sri Lanka so that the visitors crumble.

Sehwag and Gambhir were involved in a blistering 233-run opening stand that proved the foundation of India’s stunning batting display on the opening day of the second Test, and the right-hander insists his teammates cannot relax or relent yet.

“We are in a positive frame of mind. We have scored a good total for opening day and scored at a good rate (4.63) to boot. Tomorrow, we will try to get 700-800 and then put pressure on the Lankans and get those 20 wickets,” he said.

Sri Lanka managed just two wickets after a hard day’s toil but Sehwag believes his bowling colleagues can overcome the lack of life on the track and bowl his side to victory. “We bowled out Australia twice on a placid Mohali track (last year) and there is no reason why we cannot do it here. I hope Zaheer (Khan), Harbhajan (Singh), (S) Sreesanth and (Pragyan) Ojha will do it for us,” he said.

Sehwag’s own knock was a very well-paced one as the Delhi dasher overcame a slow start before blooming into his aggressive self. “With little moisture in air, I knew the ball would do something and I have to be careful. They had three spinners and I fancied my chance against them. So I took time and concentrated a lot before playing my shots,” he said.

“In Ahmedabad they dropped me and here too they grassed one. I told myself to play first 8-10 overs and concentrate hard. I tried to leave balls outside off-stump and it’s only after first hour that I played my shots,” said the explosive opener, who got a life on zero when Mahela Jayawardene dropped him off Chanaka Welegedara.

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