India's opening combination- The biggest conundrum in world cricket

Skipper Virat Kohli confronts quite a meticulous situation before the commencement of the next Test. No prizes for guessing what that is, it’s the opening combination of India’s batting contingent, something which the greatest of experts are unable to figure out.

With KL Rahul returning, Abhinav Mukund is most likely to be axed and that would be a bit harsh considering he’s coming off a decent knock in the second innings of the first Test. But the quandary will intensify when Murali Vijay will be back to full fitness. Vijay’s return will mean that India will have to choose between him, Shikhar Dhawan or Rahul and dropping any of these would be very harsh.

Virat Kohli is not partial to any of these three gentlemen as well, making things understandably a lot more tricky. Dhawan and Rahul share a great relation with the skipper whilst Vijay is arguably one of the best openers in the longest format right now. The 33-year-old ranks as the best in the team right now and the competition mostly exists between Rahul and Dhawan.

Henceforth, we tried to figure out the possible combinations that might feature in the next few months and the ones who are under the scanner amongst these three. Mukund is currently out of contention as he’s failed to make the most of the chances he got in the last few games. His chances of appearing in the XI are very grim, as two of these three players should be unavailable for the game, just the way it happened in the first Test in Galle.

#1 Murali Vijay – KL Rahul

This is the skipper’s first choice combination without a shadow of a doubt. Yes, Dhawan has been in a wonderful form of late but the world is not oblivious to his vulnerability in the white jersey. So, the technically sound batters from Karnataka and Tamil Nadu will be opted to take guard, given all the players are available.

But it’s important to realise a fact that Rahul’s place too is a bit under the scrutiny. If he fails to get going for three or four Test matches, Kohli will have no choice but to turn towards the southpaw from Delhi. Murali Vijay is the one of the few players in the current team who has an assured place in the side, if not for eternity, a long while.

#2 Murali Vijay – Shikhar Dhawan

The second best combination on the cards is quite a decent option as well. The first time Dhawan and Vijay opened together against Australia at Mohali, the duo added 289 for the first wicket. Dhawan’s aggression and the other one’s circumspect approach in many ways seem perfect for the cause.

If ever Rahul thinks he can get complacent, it would be a huge mistake. From the captain’s perspective, there are equal number of arguments which would favor the Dhawan-Vijay combo over the Rahul-Vijay duo. So the players will have to play a lot more carefully as there’s a lot more at stake than what everyone thinks.

#3 Shikhar Dhawan – KL Rahul

This is the combination which is likely to appear in the second Test match between India and Sri Lanka. For the one sole reason that Vijay is unavailable, they both will get a chance to bat together and it’ll be interesting to see how things roll on. Both these gentlemen are fighting for one place and they will be fighting for it together when the next Test begins.

Given both these players get going, it’ll be a delight to the fans as everyone knows how aggressive they can be. The 25-year-old is blessed with a resolute application whilst Dhawan is very audacious. The bowlers will have no places to hide if they both get going, but we might not come across many occasions when these both will come out together.