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Should Sadagoppan Ramesh be dropped from the Indian team?
The Offside
Sadagoppan Ramesh is a frustrating cricketer. He has been given enough chances at the top of the order, opening the innings in Test cricket and yet does not seem to learn. When he first came to the international scene, experts all around commented on his lack of footwork. As is very obvious, nimble footwork is crucial to opening the batting. With the new ball seaming and swinging, if a batsman does not move his feet he will struggle. Ramesh hardly moves his feet, an awkward shuffle being the most he manages.
What's more, Ramesh seems to have inherited a prime weakness found in left handers. When the ball is pitched up outside the off stump, it is as though he cannot resist going for a luxurious drive. More often than not that results in a simple catch to the slip cordon, and a wicket falls needlessly at the top of the order and India are under pressure straight away.
Bad footwork, almost consistently imprudent shot selection and a gaping weakness outside the off stump. What more can go wrong for an opening batsman. Not much really. And yet India seem to persist with Ramesh despite a string of recent failures. 0, 48, 2, 44, 0, 30, 61, 25, 2, 17 are Ramesh's scores in his last 10 Tests innings. That's at an average of 22.9, proof of inconsistency if ever that was in doubt.
It really is time India moved on and gave younger openers a chance. What about all the Vinayak Mane's who are talented, young and impressing at the domestic level. Is it not time we looked to the future and gave people like him a chance?
The evidence:
The Onside
So much is being said about Sadagoppan Ramesh's lack of technique it's disappointing. Critics will go to any end to pinpoint a man's weaknesses. Take a look at his performance first and then we can bother about how he goes about his business. Coming in to the Indian team in the crucial Test against Pakistan at Chennai, Ramesh batted with aplomb facing Waqar Younis and Wasim Akram towards the end of the day. A 41 ball 43 ensued and Ramesh had arrived at the international level.
With an increasing number of Indian cricketers hiding behind the mantle of 'technical correctness' Ramesh is ideal at the top of the order. He's aggressive, goes for his shots and has a good eye and reflexes. Taking the attack to the opposition, he never allows the bowlers to dominate. Surely that is crucial in setting the tone at the top of the order in a Test match?
With India struggling to find an opener worth his salt in the recent past, Ramesh's efforts certainly cannot be classified a failure. How many Indian opening batsmen have managed to chalk up 1000 Test runs in just 13 matches? Sunil Gavaskar managed it in 11 Tests and no one doubts his class. Navjot Singh Sidhu took 22 Tests to get to the same milestone. Chetan Chauhan, Gavaskar's partner took 20 Tests to get to a 1000 runs. The list is long and Ramesh compares very very favourably.
In 16 Test matches, Ramesh has amassed 1144 runs at an average of just under 40. If India drops him simply because he's going through a lean patch, which every cricketer goes through at some point or the other, the selectors would be making a huge mistake.
The evidence:
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