A very well written article. Yes Sehwag should be out. His only strength is the “HEC “hand eye…….At any position he plays needs this which is weaning. So obviously, he cannot succeed at low down the batting order. Who else will replace is immaterial, as they say old order giveth and the new order taketh over. Samis true of SRT.

If Sehwag wants to go down the order, there are very few options available. The current lot of openers are Gambhir (poor recent performances) Vijay (found unsuitable) Mukund (not capable) Rahane (not encouraged & given opportunities) & Jaffer (ignored though experienced but stated not to be considered due to age factor.)

Then try someone out of the hat

Shewag must be allowed to open the innings as it is better for the team. If he strikes he stirkes gold. It is good for the team. If he gets out quickly again it is good for the team as they can plan and execute properly with the remaining batsmen depending on target on hand (either to achieve or to set). Bringing him down the line will allow an element of inconsistancy still prevaiing in the team as no one knows whether he will strike or not.

Wholeheartedly agree. Sehwag playing down would mean a major let off for rivals as they do fear him. A Sehwag in good form means anything from 80 to 120 odd runs in about 15 to 20 hours. This is irrespective of venue, attack, etc.

With an average that most batsmen can only dream of, it is really only a matter of time before our Impact man regain form. Already there is evidence of it that one saw in the last test against Australia and the few innings against the Kiwis back home.

Sehwag has tendency to talk casually now and then. Let us not take him that seriously. He will deliver sooner than later.

Krishnan Anand

I believe its time that Shewag along with Tendulkar should retire from all sorts of international cricket and allow the youngsters to play enough matches before the world cup 2015 in Australia. I don't see either of the two going on to play the world cup 2015.

In test match conditions a 60 or 70/1 in 10-12 overs is not warranted although there is no denying the way Shewag treats some of the world class bowlers with utter disdain and a treat to watch for any Indian fan. Having said that if only Shewag converts his oft scores of 30-40 to some where around 60-70 with a slightly lesser degree of careful assault (which he certainly can if he tries) there is absolutely no denying why he should not open the innings.

According to me the test team should look like this: 1.Gautam Gambhir 2.Virender Sehwag 3.V.Kohli 4.S.Tendulkar 5.C.Pujara 6.Yuvraj Singh 7.M.Dhoni 8.R.Ashvin 9.Z.Khan 10.I.Sharma/P.Ojha(Based on Conditions) 11.U.Yadav

Sehwag should definitely open the innings. I really don't understand how did this thought about moving him down the order came in mind. Guys, He averages more than 50 with a str rate more than 90 in tests. What more do you expect from him. He has and will prove his critics wrong again.

And he is the only player who doesn't care about any personal milestones but cares only about the team to win, still he is the one who has those records which even the gr8's do not have!!!

I totally believe in him opening the inning, which format it might be!!!!

All the batsmen go through lean patches. However, Sehwag's performance has not been that bad. Look at these stats:

Since 2000-2012, away from home, he has played 81 test innings and scored 3847 runs @44.73 with 10 centuries and 12 fifties and is 4th among the averages. During the same period, in India, he has scored 4376 runs in 79 innings @ 57.57 with 12 centuries and 19 fifties and is second in averages.

Going by the recent performance since Jan 01, 2010 at home in 20 innings, Sehwag has scored 1174 runs @61.78 with 3 centuries and 7 fifties and is 1st in averages. Away from home, he has scored 884 runs @34.00 with 2 centuries and 6 fifties and is 4th in averages.

His test records at home is pretty impressive but the records away from home is not too shabby. Most batsmen have struggled away from home.

He should continue to open the innings

It is an interestig proposition.Probably the time is right for Sehwag to slip down the order. There are basically four reasons why I would advocate this. He is not a spring chicken anymore and it is more the mental exhaustion than the physical strain, that is likely to get him. He is losing patience and getting out earlier. A clear sign that he is not enjoying himself at the top anymore. Second, with the exit of Dravid and Laxman and Tendulkar's contribution being next to nothing we need some stability in the middle. Sehwag can provide it. Third, he has wanted to play in the middle order forever.If we put him there, he might eschew some of his bravado and play with greater responsibility. Four, it will help when the second new ball is taken. With his experience of opening, he can pulverise the opposition when they least expect it. Drop Tondulkar, bring in Unmukt and make him open. Sehwag at number 4 sounds lovely.

Some fools are saying Sehwag is not good enough to open. An opening batsmen with a test match average of over 50 is not good enough to open? That's really laughable. Sehwag averages around 45 away from home ( including ~47 against Aus in Aus), how does that make him a bad opener? Anyway, Sehwag batting down the order serves no purpose, because he will always play aggressively, even at times when its not needed.