Should Dravid Open?

[Pagalpanti]

Would back Anderson to get Dravid out first up if he opened' date=' mind you I would back him to get Mukund out too so im not really sure.[/quote'] Why am I not surprised with this. Will repost this when Anderson gets owned like he always does against Indians. :haha:

[Cricket Tragic]

No. While I am also concerned by Mukund's technique against the English seamers' date=' it just isn't worth messing around with the batting line-up just to accommodate a mediocre Test player like Yuvraj.[/quote'] Yeah, the last time we tried it, Yuvraj ended up with an average of 4.

[BERGKAMP]

Should have bought D.Kartik as a back up opener, he did a sterling job last time.

[Pagalpanti]

^ and that was 4 years ago. :facepalm:

[Cricket Tragic]

Should have bought D.Kartik as a back up opener' date=' he did a sterling job last time.[/quote'] [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7KK5Zx3FNc]YouTube - ‪Dinesh Kartik Dancing Aapdi poda‬‏[/ame]

[kabira]

I am worried about Dravid. Although he had a century on difficult pitch, but still he is playing away from body, there seems gap between bat and ball. Hope he gets rid of chinks and scores some decent score. Sachin will be fine, Laxman is in great touch, MSD will chip in, Gambhir will do def. do well. Perhaps even Raina wil like the pitches if he can avoid risky slashes.

[mahesh_g]

why dravid as an opener? I dont understand. mukund has been doing fine. I would play Yuvi over raina at 6. somehow I feel Yuvi has all the talent to become our future no 4. so we have to give more chances to Yuvi.

[J P K]

dravid failed as a opener in aus series lat time why not sachin ?

[Midfielder]

Dravid is settled and delivers at his position. Let us not make him do things he is not comfortable with. If the opening pair has done a decent job trust me Dravid will single handed take the game away from the English team.

[gaurav92]

Dravid is a better opener than Mukund, so yes I would say Dravid must open if Sehwag is unfit. But Dinesh Karthik was magnificent last time in England, so I though he would have been an ideal choice for the second WK.

[veer]

big Noooooooooooooooooooooo...

[ganeshran]

no

[DeepFineLeg]

Initially this seemed like a good idea. But on second thoughts it is not. Let Mukund frustrate the English quickies for a few overs and (hopefully) take some sheen off the new ball before Dravid comes in at 1st drop. No point risking Dravid

[vamos_rafa]

No. Its time we need to start grooming players as well. I know its a high profile series which we cant risk losing but, having said that, as long as we don't put the rookies in such situations, then how would we be able to separate the men from the boys? And Mukund did very well in the last India 'A' series in England last year. He seems to be a gritty player and would look to stick it out rather than go for the fancy shots. It's worth giving it a try for sure till Sehwag comes back.

[NareshK]

It would be the worst decision ever. Dravid is perfect at No.3 and we need regular openers.

[panesarv]

Ideally no' date=' but with Mukund's Sadagopan-esque technique, Dravid is as good as a opener! Its his call call on whether he wants to come in to face the first over as opener or the third over as one drop.[/quote'] But the mindset is totally different for these 2 positions

[Sidhoni]

No... :headshake:

[bihutoli]

Hmm let me think..... how about a NO!

[Trichromatic]

Yes It makes more sense for Dravid to open than a noob like Mukund who certainly get out in first few overs which means Dravid has to anyway take the responsibility but we have lost a wicket.

There is no question about Dravid could be better than Mukund as an opener. In fact Dravid can be better than most of the youngster at any position. But if Dravid opens then most important place no 3 is vacant. In test matches you need to have player like Dravid at no 3 and not as an opener. Then we need to groom young players for the future. Temporary adjustments are useless. Mukund should get chance to play as opener in case Sehwag doesn't. Giving Dravid opening slot will deprive a young player from this opportunity where he can learn a lot and there will no better option for no 3 slot.

[Late Cut]

No insult to Rampaul and co, but the English attack in English conditions is a much tougher proposition and i'd be surprised if Mukund makes it out of the first couple of overs; essentially, Dravid will be opening regardless. Further, Yuvi (i used to hate him) appears to be a changed man, and is an impact player. The other issue to consider is that we will definitely need another spinner in the playing 11 considering that whoever that is is definitely going to have to bowl (or dhoni is going to get suspended) and Yuvi is a different class of spinner compared to Raina.