India vs New Zealand 2016: Sunil Gavaskar wants India to open with Shikhar Dhawan and Murali Vijay
Indian batting legend Sunil Gavaskar wants the home side to open their innings with the tried and tested pairing of Shikhar Dhawan and Murali Vijay for what will be India’s 500th Test when they take on New Zealand in the first match of the three-match Test series that begins at the Green Park stadium in Kanpur on Wednesday.
With Indian skipper Virat Kohli expected to go in with his preferred combination of five specialist bowlers and five batsmen along with the wicketkeeper, the competition for places has been rife as ever in the star-studded batting department. While question marks have been raised about the uninspiring form of Shikhar Dhawan in recent matches, Gavaskar said that the Indian team management should still pick Dhawan ahead of other potential candidates.
While Cheteshwar Pujara has made his case for a spot in the playing eleven at Kanpur with his splendid double century in the Duleep Trophy final, Gavaskar feels that it should be a toss up between the Saurashtra cricketer and Ajinkya Rahane for the No 5 spot as he believes that KL Rahul deserves a chance after his solid performances recently across various formats.
"I would like to see Dhawan and Vijay open for India. Lokesh Rahul and captain Virat Kohli should come in at No.3 and 4," Gavaskar told NDTV on Wednesday. "The future is bright for this Indian cricket team. Apart from captain Kohli, there are ambitious players who also want to do well. The attitude and approach of this squad is fantastic."
While India head into the match which kicks off their run of 14 Tests at home for the 2016-17 season as firm favourites, Gavaskar warned that the hosts would do well to remember the defeat they faced at the hands of the visitors during the 2016 World T20. Despite the absence of potential starters like Tim Southee and Jimmy Neesham due to injury, the former Indian skipper still feels that the Kane Williamson-led side has enough potential to cause an upset.
"New Zealand spinners bundled out India in the World Twenty20. They can cause problems in Kanpur too. Their opening bowling attack can be lethal. Indian openers have to be careful," said Gavaskar.
The 67-year-old, however, feels that New Zealand’s biggest strength lies in the batting department with skipper Kane Williamson counted among the best young cricketers at present while he also expects veterans like Ross Taylor and Martin Guptill to cause problems to the Indian bowlers.
"New Zealand captain Kane Williamson will be the biggest threat but don't count out players like Ross Taylor and Martin Guptill. Their batting line-up is quite good," said Gavaskar, who was the first to reach 10,000 Test runs.