The Sehwag-Gambhir opening pair and a dream that went bust

This is how it ends, not with a blazing boundary but with a press release. Virender Sehwag’s axing from the Indian team is the final severing of the opening pair that was instrumental in taking India to the top of the Test tree. Not so long ago, Gautam Gambhir and Sehwag were the best openers in the world. Their career numbers together are still very good – 4412 runs at an average of 52.52 from 87 innings. But that hides their decline over the last three years. Since 7 March 2010, they have averaged 42.47 together from 37 innings. Go back just two years, and that number drops to 35.87 from 24 innings. In comparison, between 2005 and 2010, they averaged 63.02 together at a run-rate of 4.94 over 43 innings. That average and strike-rate gave India’s vaunted middle order – the so-called Big Four – a big advantage. By the time the likes of Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar came in to bat, the bowlers had most likely been subjected to a hiding. [caption id=“attachment_651855” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Could India have seen the last of Sehwag and Gambhir at the top of the order? Reuters[/caption] Great teams over the years have shared many similarities - one of them being a domnating opening combination. Think Jack Hobbs and Herbert Sutcliff, Gordon Grennidge and Desmond Haynes or Justin Langer and Matthew Hayden. A strong opening pair not only sets the platform for the rest of the batsmen, but can force opposing bowlers and captains on the defensive, thus stealing an early psychological advantage. This is something Gambir and Sehwag’ did exceptionally well. From November 2006 to December 2010, Gambhir averaged 57.70 with 8 hundreds from 43 innings over 23 Tests. That stretch also included 10 half-centuries, meaning Gambhir went past 50 practically once every other innings (every 2.39 innings). Over the same period, Sehwag averaged 58.80, with 10 hundreds and 14 fifties from 35 Tests. Sehwag’s ability to score quickly and brutally was balanced by Gambhir’s determination and resolve and their left-right combination made it harder for bowlers, forcing them to constantly adjust their lines and lengths. It was a case of opposing teams having to pick their poison – if Sehwag didn’t blast you out of the game, then Gambhir would grind you down. Their success together allowed India to dominate at home and hold their own away. So it is no surprise that their slide has coincided with the downturn in India’s fortunes. Gambhir’s struggles came at a time when he should have been in his prime (having developed the unfortunate tendency of poking outside his offstump) while Sehwag’s decline has been abrupt, though less inexplicable given his age and reliance on hand-eye coordination. The timing of their departures from the Test team also raises the question of where do they go from here. Sehwag has already said he plans to make a comeback, but there is no domestic cricket left to allow either of them to stake a claim for South Africa later this year. The only remaining platform is the IPL, which is as useful a guide as a local horse racing card is to the Indian Derby. At 34, Sehwag doesn’t have many more years left either, and with the BCCI opting for a youth policy, he may not get another opportunity. At 31, Gambhir does have more time, but a lot will depend on how Murali Vijay and Shikhar Dhawan, now set to make his debut in Mohali, perform. If they fail, Sehwag or Gambhir could well find themselves back in favour. But if they don’t, then this will be most likely be the end of the Gambhir-Sehwag era. That it would end was inevitable, of course, but in their case it would have come too soon.