India's opening dilemma

Sehwag took England's attack apart in Colombo

Virender Sehwag has been a smash hit - in all senses of the word - since his arrival in the Indian one-day team three years ago.

Although he averages only 33 after 40 matches, it is his strike rate of 101.60 which guarantees a frisson of excitement around the ground each time he walks out to bat.

Sehwag is now established as captain Sourav Ganguly's regular one-day opening partner.

But that pairing does not have universal approval in Indian cricket circles, despite their stand of 192 in the ICC Champions Trophy win over England.

Tendulkar's record is in a class of its own

Sehwag's contribution was 126 off 104 balls, with a six and 21 fours, while Ganguly finished unbeaten on 117 as the team completed an eight-wicket triumph.

For some, however, India's chances of World Cup success in South Africa next year would be improved if Sehwag's mentor, Sachin Tendulkar, returned to the top of the order.

Acknowledged as the greatest player in the modern game, Tendulkar has scored more than 11,500 one-day runs.

India emerge as World Cup contenders

"I still feel Sachin is a champion opener and should come at the head of the order.

"If he is scoring 100 at number four, he can score 150-160 if he bats at one," said ex-Indian captain Ajit Wadekar.

Regular centurion

His view is exchoed by Maninder Singh, a former Test spin bowler.

"I think India have asked Sachin to bat at number four so he can be more comfortable against the swinging ball.

"When he gets his confidence back, they should move him back up," he commented.

"Sachin has done wonders as an opener with Ganguly."

Of Tendulkar's 33 one-day centuries, all but three of them have come as an opening batsman, including an astonishing innings of 186 not out against New Zealand at Hyderabad in 1999.

Ganguly hopes to lift the World Cup next year

He prefers to take on the bowlers from the start of an innings, but was moved down the order during the tour to the West Indies to make way for the Sehwag-Ganguly combination.

It had little effect on his form, with scores of 105 not out and 113 during the NatWest Series in England.

And it appears that he will remain at number four for the foreseeable future.

"Our strategy of making Sachin and Rahul (Dravid) bat lower down is working well and the batting looks deep.

"We have already seen the benefit of this over the last two series and these were changes we should have done long ago," Ganguly commented.

It is the need for stability in the middle order which has emerged as central to India's thinking with the experience of Tendulkar and Dravid allied to the emerging talents of Mohammed Kaif and Yuvraj Singh.

Helping India emulate their 1983 World Cup triumph would, perhaps, be a fitting reward for Tendulkar after so many superb one-day performances.

But his limited overs record on South African soil has yielded only one century so far, 101 at Johannesburg 12 months ago.

That was a game in which he shared an opening stand of 193 with his captain, but it looks a remote possibility that history will repeat itself next year.