Arun Kumar - right man for the right job

Three openers - J Arun Kumar of Karnataka, Mumbai's Wasim Jaffer and India and Tamil Nadu opener S.Ramesh - have been selected to play for the Board President's XI against the visiting South Africans at Mumbai. Of the three, Ramesh is already an established opener while the other two are fighting for a place in the national side. His scores at the Challenger Trophy confirm why Arun Kumar needs to be elevated further.

The stylish right-hander was the second highest run getter in the Deodhar Trophy tournament this season scoring 289 runs in four matches with two hundreds at an average of 96.33. Arun Kumar has also been the backbone of the Karnataka side for the last couple of seasons when the stars have been on national duty. He has played only four Ranji games so far in 1999-2000 at an average of 32.50 with a highest score of 76 against Mumbai in the Super League. His string of scores - 41, 71 and 26 - was responsible for Karnataka reaching the final of the Wills Trophy.

Late last year, the 25-year-old player was selected for the India A tour of West Indies and made scores of 26 & 48 and 74 & 6 in the two Test matches. He also made a hundred in a tour game against Guyana. He had represented the u-19 Indian team on the tour of South Africa in 1992-93 and England in 1994.

The gritty opener has been rewarded for his consistent performances. Arun Kumar, who likes to dominate the bowling, has adapted well to play in alien conditions on foreign soil. Blessed with a fine technique and the temperament to play a long innings he is fluent on either side of the wicket. He could be the answer to India's opening batsman problems.