Well begun is half done, they say. Sound openers are a precious commodity. Without a strong foundation, even the most glittering edifices can collapse.
Murali Vijay and Abhinav Mukund know they belong to a territory that separates the men from the boys.
The ball might fly around on a day one pitch and one can expect the unexpected. The openers have to send the right signals to the team, steady the nerves in the dressing room.
Apart from shouldering much of Tamil Nadu's hopes as the present generation of cricketers from the State chase the elusive Ranji Trophy this season, the right-left duo seeks to present a worthy case for an India recall.
Exclusion hurts
While the exclusion from the India team hurts, Vijay said to The Hindu on Saturday: “It is only when things go wrong that you learn more about your game.”
It's a frank statement from a batsman who lays much emphasis on technique.
Vijay concedes the jump from domestic cricket to coping with big fast men on bouncy, seaming tracks or on conditions that encourage swing is invariably a massive one. It is here that he talks about mind donning as big a role as technique.
The 27-year-old has embraced several methods, including meditation, to grow in self belief. “Preparation and mental strength are vital,” he says.
Abhinav, a southpaw, provides a fascinating insight in his quest for the right technique when he says: “You know, I had the back-and-across movement when I played school cricket on matting wickets.”
His admission reopens the debate on the need for the youngsters to play their early cricket on matting tracks to cope better with bounce and become better-rounded batsmen with good back-foot game. When Abhinav began his career in first class cricket and notched up those big scores — he averages a whopping 54.64 in first class cricket — he relied chiefly on front-footed ways in the domestic cricket.
It was in the West Indies this year — the 21-year-old impressed in phases during his innings of 48 and 62 in the Tests at Barbados and Dominica — that he brought about a much-needed switch to his game.
“I focussed on my back-and-across movement and the adjustment seemed to work,” he says.
However, Abhinav — he has 211 runs from five Tests at 21.10 — searched for runs in England after a promising 49 in the Lord's Test. His dismissals suggested he needed to tighten his game and not drag deliveries back on to his stumps from outside off.
“I have this ability to consolidate on starts and notch up big scores but was not able to do so in Tests. This disappoints me but I am optimistic,” he says.
Having to sit out of the eleven after making a match-winning 139 against Australia in the Bangalore Test of 2010, Vijay yearns for an extended run but realises he has to make the most of the opportunities provided to him.
He says a Test cricketer should be able to play all forms of the game — the right-hander has 609 runs in 12 Tests at 30.45.
Vijay, however, points out that the constant switches between different formats could take its toll if sufficient gap is not provided between the events.
“For instance, if there is a Test series soon after a Twenty20 tournament without any first class game in between, it can be hard to cope,” he says.
Vijay and Abhinav — the duo put on a whopping 462 runs for the first wicket against Maharsahtra in a Ranji Trophy match in 2008/09 — are different personalities with the right chemistry.
A crucial and potentially career-defining year awaits both.
