Sadagoppan Ramesh must be feeling the heat. The left-handed opener from Tamil Nadu is under pressure to perform and would be under keen observation during the first Test against Zimbabwe starting in Bulawayo on Thursday.

After a poor performance in the tour-opener against Zimbabwe A, Ramesh did score 42 and 52 in the three-dayer against CFX Academy but his effort in the first innings in Harare was at best scratchy.

The latest threat to his opener's slot has come from his statemate Hemang Badani who made the best use of the opportunity provided to him in the match against CFX Academy.

Badani, also a left-hander, scored an unbeaten 112 in the first innings and retired after making an attractive 35 in the second when he was tried as an opener.

Badani is yet to play in a Test and should Ramesh not deliver the goods in the first Test, the team management might be inclined to let him make his debut in the second Test as an opener.

Ramesh's opening partner Shiv Sunder Das too failed in the tour-opener at Mutare with scores of 4 and 12 but learnt his lessons quickly, making a stylish unbeaten century against the Academy boys. By deciding not to field Das in the second innings, the team management has almost cleared his name for the first Test.

Such is not the case with Ramesh though he is most likely to play the first Test during which his performance will be critically examined.

Coach John Wright has a very clear mind regarding what he expects from his openers. "We need a bit of consistency in that position. I would be very happy if we could go to lunch with only one or two down in the first session," he said. "Just get through this session and see the new ball off and we have got the middle order to take advantage of that situation."

Ramesh has generally struggled outside his off-stump and has this in-built habit of pushing at deliveries. On wickets with bounce and a bit of seam movement, it is suicidal. He also appears uncomfortable against short, rising balls. But Wright said he was not worried about his style as long as he delivered.

"Everyone has his own style. At the end, it is runs on the board which count. If he has it on the board, he has done his job for the team. I am not the one to object. People can play their own game and as long as they are consistent in their own way, and have done their job, that's okay," he said.

Ramesh has so far aggregated 1125 runs from 15 Tests and 29 innings at an average of 40.18. He has two centuries and seven fifties to his credit but in the three Tests this year he has tallied just 61 runs.

His partner Das, who made his debut against Bangladesh last year, has 396 runs from six Tests averaging 39.60 with a hundred and two fifties.

The two are just beginning to find their feet in Test cricket and share a good understanding between themselves, a factor which Ramesh emphasises is very important for opening partners.

"Unlike any other batting pair in the team, the openers start their innings together all the time. They need to spend good time with each other to develop a good understanding. We are doing it and it is beginning to reflect in our batting," says Ramesh.

"We start with the basic advantage of a right and a left-handed opening pair. There is another advantage which comes with our batting techniques. While Das is defensive, I tend to go for my shots. It doesn't allow bowlers to quite settle down."

Off the field too, the differences arising out of the different regions they come from, are fast disappearing. They had shared the room during the Kolkata Test against Australia earlier this year and Das says he is quite happy being together with Ramesh.

Wright conceded it were still early days for the pair and they had been working very hard. "Both are very talented and are the ideal left and right-handed pair. Yet it is early days, particularly for Das. Ramesh has impressive performances but it will be important how he does overseas, particularly in South Africa and England where the ball moves around and that's a bit of a challenge, for both of them."

Indeed, Ramesh should treat it as a warning, what with Badani breathing down his neck now. Badani has proved himself a dependable bat in the one-dayers and is waiting for an opportunity in the Tests. What is more, he can also roll over his wrists and is a brilliant close-in fielder, certainly an asset to a team that goes into a Test with only four frontline bowlers and is at best an average fielding side.

© PTI