“I would like to keep that as a surprise. Our middle order is very good and we have got good openers in Evin Lewis and Ishan Kishan. We will see on the seventh (of April) where I bat. I would like to keep that as a surprise.”

That was Rohit Sharma speaking two days prior to the season-opening Vivo IPL clash against Chennai Super Kings. As it turned out, our captain surprised one and all by deciding to open the innings at the Wankhede. Yes, he had a bad day in the office but we know that was just a one-off. Needless to say, Sharma will activate his ‘Hitman’ mode sooner than later.

Come to think of it, Sharma’s decision to open is well thought out. After all, he is one of the best openers in limited-overs cricket today. He has every shot in the book, but his propensity to play attacking shots off the short ball make him the ideal candidate to bat at the start of an innings. He can take on the new ball whether it is bowled by a pacer or, for that matter, a spinner. Moreover, he can control the flow of the innings, assess the conditions better and decide who to bring in at the fall of a wicket among other things.

Sharma’s consistency as an opener in One-Day Internationals and Twenty20 Internationals in simply mind-boggling. If he can replicate that form at the top, it will hold him, and our team, in good stead. He could don the role of an accumulator, much like Sachin Tendulkar did for us in the hugely successful 2010 season. He could also begin cautiously and then change gears like he usually does. The logic is simple: your best batsman has got to face the most number of deliveries. And, by doing so, Sharma is giving himself a greater chance of stamping his authority on the contest.

It will be interesting to see how Sharma and Lewis forge a partnership. Make no mistake, if the left-right duo gets going then God save the bowlers. It would be ideal if Sharma holds one end up, thereby allowing Lewis to play his ultra-aggressive game. And whenever the situation demands, Sharma can bring out his armoury too. Otherwise, he can strive to face as many deliveries as possible, and allow the others to bat around him.

Sharma’s transformation as an opener is well-documented. Ever since he started opening the batting in ODIs and T20Is, his average has gone up significantly. He has scored more hundreds, more fifties and, more importantly, won more games, many of them single-handedly.

For instance, he averages 53.8 in 96 ODIs as an opener. The corresponding number in all ODIs is 44.5. His strike-rate has also gone up by five points (to 91.1) ever since he started top open the innings. Fifteen of his 17 hundreds have come in the 96 ODIs that he has opened for Team India. He has also scored 22 of his 34 fifties in this period. He has hit 169 sixes in 180 ODIs (0.94 per game). But a whopping 146 (1.52 per game) of those came as an opener.

ONE-DAY INTERNATIONALS

OVERALL

AS AN OPENER

In Twenty20 Internationals, Sharma has opened the batting on 49 occasions in 79 matches (72 innings). His average and strike-rate are higher as an opener. Both his centuries and 10 of his 14 fifties have come in these 49 games. His six percentage is also higher.

TWENTY20 INTERNATIONALS

OVERALL

AS AN OPENER

For the record, Sharma has opened the batting for MI on 18 occasions. Remember his unbeaten 98 in the opening match of the 2015 Vivo IPL? Yeah, it came in a losing cause but that knock was an exhibition of all good things you expect from an opener. He averages 43 as an opener in MI colours, nearly 10 runs more than he does as a middle-order batsman.

TWENTY20

OVERALL

AS AN OPENER

INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE

OVERALL

FOR MUMBAI INDIANS

AS AN OPENER

Here’s a fun fact: each and every batsman who won the Orange Cap was — yeah, you guessed right — an opener.

ORANGE CAP WINNERS