‘Friendly’ openers give Team India a healthy headache ›
Whatever I feel or Shikhar feels, we put it out in the open. We clear that thing and move forward. Basically they are funloving people; we do things together. MURALI VIJAY, On the openers
NEW DELHI: Three may be regarded as a crowd, but Murali Vijay believes enjoying each other’s company has helped India’s opening trio back each despite their constant shuffling in the Test squad over the last three years.
As India go into the third and final Test against Sri Lanka at the Ferozeshah Kotla on Saturday, it is unclear which two from among Vijay, KL Rahul and Shikhar Dhawan will open the innings.
Left-handed Dhawan missed a century in the drawn first Test in Kolkata and pulled out of the second in Nagpur, which India won by a record margin, for personal reasons.
The Delhi batsman is back and in contention for a place in the playing eleven as India finetune preparations for the tough tour of South Africa, starting early next month while aiming to clinch their ninth series victory in a row. Dhawan had grabbed the chance in Sri Lanka due to Vijay’s absence and has produced some strong batting performances since.
On the 2015 Sri Lanka tour, Dhawan missed the last two Tests due to a hand fracture while Vijay was out of the final game due to a hamstring injury. In the 2016 West Indies tour, Rahul opened with Dhawan in the first two Tests and with Vijay in the next.
Rahul, 25, has been very consistent since his debut in Australia three years ago, and will be eager to play in Delhi after twice being bowled cheaply in this series due to poor foot movement.
In a different set-up, the constant changes could leave players frustrated, but that is far from the case, said Vijay on Friday.