Sachin should open in test matches

Sachin rules !! Always has. I will never forget the day when he as a 16 year old tore apart Abdul Quadir and the rest of the Pakistani attack. I was hooked to this sensation then and there and have been a staunch supporter ever since. Thus it pains me to hear so many people around me starting to do to him what they did to Kapil Dev in his twilight years and what they are doing to Ganguly now. Critisize him left, right and center !! Having said that I do have to agree that Sachin may be past his prime. I personally feel that he should retire gracefully but only after the 2007 world cup. I want him to be remembered as a hero who chose his departure.

There is no worry to me as far as the ODIs are concerned. He still is among the best. What I am concerned about is the fact that he is not as dominant as he was in Test Matches earlier. I feel he needs a role change and I am confident that the best way for him to rule again is to open the innings along with Sehwag.

Sachin has been an opener in the shorter version of the game for almost his entire career. He know what it takes to be a opener. He can play the 2 best bowlers of any opposition in the opening role. He is the kind of batsmen for who no bowler can be good enough. Infact as has been seen in recent times it is the lesser bowlers who get him out. Is this because he tends to turn casual when they are around ? Whatever be the reason the conclusion is easy to draw. As an opener he will face the best bowlers and that will mean he will bat at his best.

There was a time when Sachin's wicket was all important for the rest of the team because they often collapsed as soon as he would get dismissed. This is not true anymore. With the likes of Sehwag and Dravid in the team Sachin is no longer the most protected commodity. He need not come after the openers have negotiated the hostile new ball bowlers. Even if he gets out early while opening the innings the impact would not be as severe now.

As far as his technique is concerned it is still among the best in the world. Just what it takes to do well opening the innings. It is thus my point of view that Sachin can return to his throne of being the best test batsman in the world by opening the batting for India.