There is every chance that Keaton Jennings, the son of Ray Jennings – former South African coach, and an integral part of Transvaal’s Mean Machine in the 1980s – will become Alastair Cook’s 11th opening partner since Andrew Strauss retired in 2012, when the India-England Test series resumes in Mumbai on December 8.
Much has been made of that statistic, and Haseeb Hameed’s broken finger, after a couple of tremendously brave and composed innings, has ensured that Jennings will be under considerable scrutiny when the net sessions resume a couple of days before the Test. But what his call-up has also done is take attention away from India’s own problems at the top of the batting order.
The hosts may be sitting pretty on a 2-0 lead, with two games to play, but their recent success – they have won 12 of their last 16 Tests – has had little to do with the openers giving them a solid platform. In nine Tests and 16 innings this season, the first-wicket partnerships have contributed just 439 runs at 27.44.
The biggest stand has been 87 between Lokesh Rahul and Shikhar Dhawan in the Caribbean. You have to go all the way back to Fatullah and a rain-affected Test against Bangladesh in June 2015 for the last century partnership. On that occasion, Murali Vijay and Dhawan added 283.
Vijay and Dhawan are one of five opening combinations India have tried this season, because of both injuries and loss of form. Of the individuals, Dhawan and Gautam Gambhir have now been relegated to playing Ranji Trophy matches for Delhi, while Rahul is once again under a fitness cloud.
Since March 2015, when India’s openers have managed just that one partnership in excess of 100, Cook has been part of six, each with a different partner. Adam Lyth, Jonathan Trott, Alex Hales and Ben Duckett may have fallen by the wayside, and Moeen Ali moved back down the order, but they all managed to share at least one significant partnership with their captain. As did Hameed, who will surely be back for the long haul.
It will be interesting to see how the Indian team management deals with the situation in Mumbai. Parthiv Patel, drafted in as wicketkeeping cover for the hamstrung Wriddhiman Saha, was also asked to open the batting in Mohali, a task he accomplished with some relish in both innings. It would be quite a shock if he was now left out.
Vijay started the series with a hundred in Rajkot, but has since looked ill at ease against the short ball on off stump. Rahul, who recovered from a hamstring problem only to then hurt his shoulder, has played just two of the last six Tests.
With Cheteshwar Pujara at No 3 and Virat Kohli at No 4 both enjoying the most purple of patches, the frailties at the top haven’t yet cost India matches. A resilient lower order, that took them from 204 for 6 to 417 in the first innings in Mohali, has also contributed significantly.
The current unbeaten run of 16 is just one short of India’s all-time record. But for it to continue, there needs to be a semblance of consistency at the top.
When fit, Rahul and Vijay are still likely to be the first-choice combination. But Parthiv’s cameos in his first Test in more than eight years have queered the selection pitch. It will be fascinating to see whether India, who have yet to play the same XI in consecutive games under Kohli’s leadership, decide to stick or twist.
Follow us on Twitter @NatSportUAE
Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/TheNationalSport
