The performances of the indian openers in Australia and today vs Pakistan have set me thinking. Chopra and Sehwag look to me like the blueprint for a modern test cricket opening partnership, something in the vein of Atherton/Stewart, Atherton/Trescothick and indeed Trescothick/Vaughan when Vaughan was a blocker. Take a look at Chopra's innings today:

A Chopra c Imran Farhat b Saqlain Mushtaq 42runs 163mins 121balls 5fours 0sixes

Look at the scorecards from the Australian series and you'll fine the same thing all the way through. Whilst Chopra may consistently "fail" in terms of putting big runs on the board, his primary job is to bat for a long time and see off the new ball. 121 balls over a period of nearly 3 hours would certainly qualify as success in that respect, and the guy is doing this game after game. He is one of the primary catalysts for the Indian batting success of late. Now Sehwag:

V Sehwag 228* 271balls 30fours 5sixes

Sehwag is primarily an attacking batsman, who will put the good ball away regardless of the state of the ball, pitch or the position of the match. But - crucially - he is also prepared to dig in and see off the new ball before launching his all out assault on the bowling. Trescothick can - and with more application, should - fill this role for England, just look at his innings every time he makes big runs, prime example being vs South Africa at the Oval last year. Digs in, sees off the new ball then carts the bowlers to all parts.

So what we really need is a Chopra/Atherton figure - in essence, a blocker. Whilst Vaughan is well capable of this, it would be an absolute shame and disgrace to send himi out there purely to block. If a suitable candidate was found I would be happy to see Vaughan moving down to number 3, which I think would be his ideal position. This need for someone to see off the new ball at all costs becomes even more paramount because of the early starts in England from this summer onwards. The ball will be swinging and seaming like nobodies business, and having the middle order exposed to this could easily lead to absolute carnage.

So, who could do the job?

Admin - Link to original thread in the England forum: Opening partnerships - Englandvs India