There are a lot of things I do not understand about Indian cricket but one which has left me absolutely bewildered over the years is the fascination to open the batting with keepers. I can understand it in tests to an extent when India went through a phase of the Devang Gandhis and Vikram Rothores. You needed some one to withstand the new ball. Today, when India has Sehwag, Gambir and Abhinav Mukund, it makes no sense.
In ODIs, it is all the more flummoxing as you do not need a specialist as much as you need in tests. The move is most annoying for me because it screams out to all the aspiring Indian opening batsmen, the Tanmay Srivastavas of the world that they inspire absolutely no faith. An Ajinkya Rahane can gain valuable experience facing Roach and Rampaul. One can see how good is as a viable alternative in ODIs if Sehwag or Gambhir is injured. Instead, Parthiv Patel, who despite making runs domestically, is not a specialist opening batsman alternative for India in ODIs (as he isn’t aggressive enough or consistent enough), opens.
When a specialist batsman like Kanitkar bats at 8 and Karim opens, you know it is April fools day. Let’s not have the sight of Wriddhiman Saha or Parthiv Patel open in Australia against Siddle, Cummings, Pattinson and Johnson, please.
I actually found this more etrnetaniing than James Joyce.