England vs India 2018, Talking Point: Why Indian openers will be under tremendous pressure

A lot has been said about the Indian opening combination for the upcoming five-match Test series against England. Three batsmen - Murali Vijay, Shikhar Dhawan and KL Rahul have been vying for the two opening slots but the picture, as of now, is not yet clear and few can guess what skipper Virat Kohli and the team management would go ahead with.

Irrespective of who gets the nod in the playing XI, it is common knowledge that the Indian batsmen, especially the openers, will find the going tough.

Sportskeeda expert and former Indian opener himself, who has played in 19 Tests and 24 ODIs for India, Sadagoppan Ramesh opened up on why the Indian openers will be under tremendous pressure and which factors could play their part in determining how the top two batsmen fare in the Test series.

Openers key for team's success

With wickets fresh at the start of the Test series, swing bowlers in England can wreak havoc. Overcast conditions and grass on the wickets make the ball swing prodigiously and that could become a nightmare for any opening batsman.

Highlighting that fact, Ramesh opined that the first two innings of any Test series are the most important. It helps the batsman get acclimatized to the conditions and if even one of the two innings turns out to be successful, he can carry that confidence throughout the series.

According to the former Indian batsman, the bowl will swing a lot and thus the openers will be under tremendous pressure.

"I think Vijay is technically one of the best players in the Indian team. But for every player, their first two innings of the series, how they start is the most important, even for Virat Kohli. And openers are going to have tremendous pressure in England. Any Tom, Dick and Harry can swing the ball in England and if that (Tom, Dick and Harry) becomes a good bowler, it's going to swing a lot."