Watch out, bowlers!

Many fans will nod knowingly and exclaim Ive seen this script before mdash Rohit Sharma starts out with a bang in Test cricket However unlike a regurgitated version of an old movie this script has a new twist Rohit opened for the first time On Test debut Rohit scored a century against the West Indies and followed up with another one in the next match On both occasions he batted at six behind the likes of Sachin Tendulkar and Virat KohliWhen he recently debuted as a Test opener against South Africa he scored twin centuries against a strong attack headed by Kagiso Rabada and Vernon Philander As an opener he preceded Kohli which could be an important factor in whether this incarnation of Rohit is a success or a failureAfter his triumphant 2013 entrance into the Test arena Rohit gradually faded to the point where it took him another 35 innings to reach three figures again His moderate success in the intervening period meant he was in and out of the Indian side without ever cementing a spot in the batting lineupBig promotionMost of those innings were played at either five or six but in what appears to be a last ditch effort to resurrect his fiveday career he was promoted to open in the first Test against South AfricaVirat KohliThis move makes a lot of sense As a oneday opener Rohit has established himself as the next most dangerous batsman to his teammate Kohli The move to opening means that Rohit bats ahead of Kohli in Test matches and this is crucial to revitalising his career in the longer formatThere appeared to be two things holding Rohit back at Test level he was unsure what type of player he should be and at times he seemed overawed by Kohlis glowing presenceThis was not the fault of Rohits skipper but a result of Kohlis enormous popularity among Indian fans The raucous response to Kohlis appearance at the6 crease is enough to intimidate the best of players and Rohits predicament is one Ive witnessed beforeWhenever Viv Richards entered the arena I felt Australias chances of removing West Indies opener Gordon Greenidge improved Greenidge was a very fine batsman he probably never realised how good but such was Richardss aura that Gordon appeared to shrink in his presenceBatting Rohit ahead of Kohli affords him the opportunity to establish himself before the skipper arrives at the crease This in turn diminishes any adverse effect the crowds infatuation with Kohli is likely to have on RohitThriving groundThe other advantage to Rohit opening is it paints a clear picture of how he should play He obviously needs to be watchful at first but theres also plenty of opportunity to score quickly with the field up If Rohit does get a start it then means hes more at ease when facing spinners with some runs under his beltThis paid big dividends during his twin centuries as he clouted an inordinate number of sixes in that Test This is in sharp contrast to some Test innings Ive seen him play down the order where early in his innings hes committed harikari in trying to establish his authority over the spinnersThe Indian selectors deserve credit for this calculated gamble to resurrect Rohits career No doubt their main priority was to help India win Test matches but the longer form of the game needs every available exciting playerRohit is a very watchable batsman When I first saw him play his horizontal bat shots in a 2008 ODI series against Australia I thought Boy this kid can really play The fact that eleven years later hes still trying to establish himself as a Test batsman is perplexing However if this latest move works it will not only help India but also Test cricket because even though hes no longer a kid he still entertains the fansTwo stars in one teamRohit Sharmas century in both innings against South Africa at Vizakhapatnam notwithstanding he cannot be called a Test great as yet But if he continues in the same vein at home and abroad he could well achieve that status We look at instances of worldbeating sides having a minimum of two truly great players in their lineupDon Bradman and Bill PonsfordPlayed in the Australian team from the late 1920s to 1934 They put on 451 for the 2nd wicket against England at The Oval in 1934 Ponsford bid international cricket goodbye after that match which Oz won by 562 runsViv Richards and Gordon GreenidgeThey both made their Test debut in the same Test ndash against India at Bangalore in 197475 and loved getting runs against England In the 1976 series there they plundered 829 and 592 runs respectivelyGarfield Sobers and Rohan KanhaiSobers was the greatest allrounder of his time but Kanhai was not far behind with his batting prowess Sobers played under the Guyaneses captaincy in his last series in 197374 Their 250run stand against England at Georgetown in 1968 was memorableSachin Tendulkar and Rahul DravidThey gave nightmares to bowlers who faced up to India in the 1990s and 2000s Their 16th century partnership witnessed v Australia in Perth 2008 series put them on par with Greenidge amp Haynes and Hayden amp PontingSunil Gavaskar and Gundappa ViswanathSeveral teams bore the brunt of this duos brilliance in the 1970s and 1980s West Indian fast bowling great Andy Roberts considered them among the very best he bowled to along with Greg Chappell and Barry RichardsCatch up on all the latest T20 news and updates here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates