World Cup 2019: 6 reasons why Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan will be the best opening pair of the tournament
The swinging ball and seaming conditions as part of the World Cup 2019 in England makes opening the batting a difficult task to master. The openers will have a tough job of seeing out the initial few overs of the new ball. If they manage to come out unharmed from that, the players can easily play their natural game and get proper rewards for their shots.
The openers will have the crucial role of giving their teams a good start and laying out the platform for the batters to follow. In overcast conditions like those in England, the team's success more often than not coincides with the start provided by the openers.
Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan will open the batting for India in this tournament. They have been one of the world's best opening pairs over the years, and in order to see India make a strong case of lifting the World Cup, the duo must make sure they provide India the ideal start.
Here are six reasons why they might perform up to or exceed expectations and have a top show in this World Cup.
#6 Big Match Players
Dhawan and Rohit are big match players. They raise their game in pressure matches, be it bilateral ODI series decider, Champions trophy or the World Cup.
In ICC tournaments, only Gilchrist-Hayden (1539 runs) have more runs than Rohit-Dhawan (1195) while only Gibbs-Kirsten (77.40) have a higher average than Rohit and Dhawan, who average 66.38.
Dhawan and Rohit have been around for a long time. They are the senior players of the team and are into their second World Cup together. They will be eager to rectify their mistakes from the last time and perform well on the grand stage. They certainly have got the character to soak in the pressure and deliver on big stage.They just need to sustain their form and continue to play the brand of cricket they have been playing.