Cricket: Sachin and Saurav -- The awesome "twosome"

Cricket is a team game,and by definition a team is a group of people with defined roles looking to achieve a common goal.

However, every team has members who face the heat upfront; they are the ones who are expected to take the attack to the opposition from the start and lead the way for others.

In Cricket, those who are assigned this task are often the ones who decide the fate of the match. These special people are called "Openers," and as the old saying goes -- a good first blow is half the battle won. It is the Openers' job to give this first blow. Therefore, it becomes imperative to have the best people handling this responsibility, as they are the ones who lay the foundation for the victory.

The Openers slot in the Limited Overs Game is arguably the most important batting slot, as the game is more often than not decided in the first 15 overs when the field restrictions are on and the Openers are expected to go "hell for leather."

However, at the same time the openers are also expected to carry the innings on their shoulders so that the team can reach a formidable total, and it is this dual aspect that makes 'Opening' such a demanding job.

The One-Day game, since it's inception, has seen many a great Opening pairs. Through the '80s, the West Indian pair of Desmond Haynes and Gordon Greenidge ruled the roost and became One-Day Cricket's most prolific Opening pair. Haynes and Greenidge put on a stunning 5,500 odd runs, which were punctuated by 14 century plus stands, and were scored at a brilliant average of 52 runs per match.

The early '90s saw the Aussies -- David Boon and Geoff Marsh -- take the mantle from the Caribbean pair, but they were never as consistent and as prolific as the West Indian duo.

Now, as the 2001 comes to an end, the World of One-Day Cricket has possibly found it's greatest ever opening pair in a history that spans over three decades. A partnership that began its golden journey in late 1996 has come a long way in these five years.

Sachin Tendulkar and Saurav Ganguly could go down as two of the greatest batsmen to play this noble game and their association, as an Opening pair, would probably be a milestone that would need a lot of catching. Consider this, when you put the World's best batsman -- Sachin alongside Saurav -- arguably the World's best left handed batsman in present form you get a pair that has an aura that surpasses any other and it is but natural that records would tumble.

In their five year long partnership, these two Cricket Icons from India have scripted many a great Indian wins and given the fans some of the most sensational batting displays ever seen. Their record as an opening pair has been phenomenal -- 15 century stands and more than 5,200 runs at an average of 50 runs per match is evidence enough of their greatness. To crown these feats is their World Record opening partnership of 252 in One-Day Cricket.

Apart from their unmatched feats as an opening pair, a look at their individual One-Day Records is enough to prove their pedigree. Sachin with 30 ODI Centuries (World Record) and almost 11,000 ODI runs (World Record) easily rates as the undisputed king of One-Day Cricket and undoubtedly a living legend. Saurav is not far behind either, 17 ODI Centuries, 7000 ODI runs at an average of almost 44 are evidence of his class and stature in the One-Day game. To say that these figures are unbelievable would only be an understatement.

However, statistics can never show the qualitative side of the picture, which in this case is far more important than mere numbers. When on song, this Indian duo can tear apart the best bowlers in the world and make a mockery of their reputations leave alone their bowling figures.

Although, Sachin and Saurav are miles apart as individuals yet they strike a chord when they enter the cricket field and complement each other perfectly. At one end of the pair you have the batting maestro - Sachin -- cool, composed, diplomatic and unflustered while on the other end you have Saurav Ganguly- emotional, straight forward, fiery and sometimes even arrogant. However, amongst all these different personality traits lie two factors that are common to both -- a competitive streak and an extreme hunger to succeed.

Their strength as an opening pair, apart from the fact that they are brilliant stroke makers, lies in the point that one is a right-hander and the other a left-hander. This means that the bowlers have to constantly change their line of attack in order to adjust to the different styles. Another one of their strengths lies in their ability to play for each other and that's one of the most important principles of playing as a pair. If one is going for the bowling, the other complements him by giving him more strike and on days when one of them is struggling for form, the other takes on himself the responsibility to carry his partner by taking the pressure off him.

Their special ability to hit even the good deliveries for boundaries makes them a daunting prospect for the opposition. Both Sachin and Saurav have the gift of timing and when in full flow both are elegance personified. Shots flow from their bats like sweet music and even the best bowlers can only watch and admire. When in the mood, the two can be as destructive as dynamite with shots like bullets racing to the boundary at the rate of knots. It is this special ability to blend Elegance with brute force that makes this pair the hub of fans and experts the world over.

However, in international sports, the operative words are the Ws (wins) and the Ls (Losses) and it is sad that even with such an outstanding pair up front, India has had more of the Ls than the Ws. As a fan who has followed these two since they came together in 1996, I can bear testimony to the fact that it would be highly unfair to blame these two for India's average performances. As a matter of fact these two have been instrumental in most of the Indian victories in the last few years.

Some of India's greatest victories have been a result of a good foundation laid by these two pillars of Indian Cricket. India's memorable victory in the Independence Cup Final in 1998 against Pakistan came at the back of a whirlwind opening stand of 71 in nine overs, while chasing a World Record target of 316 in 48 overs. Saurav brilliant 124 and Sachin's blistering 41 off 26 balls made way for one of the best One-Day Matches. Their defining moment came in the same year and it was again in the finals of a tournament. Sachin and Saurav put on a superb 252 for the first wicket to beat the Sri Lankans Lions in their den. Both Sachin and Saurav scored 100s in their world record stand and played a major part in India's exciting win.

Then it was Zimbabwe's turn to face the heat in the finals of the Sharjah Trophy in 1998. Chasing a target of 197, Sachin and Saurav smashed the Zimbabweans to all parts of the ground and India became the first ever team to win a final by 10 wickets. This time Sachin smashed a superb 124* off just 92 balls and Ganguly got a half century. Another instance that comes to mind is India's game against South Africa played in March 2000 in India. The Indians were chasing a huge score of 283 in 50 overs against a potent South African attack. Sachin and Saurav came out all guns blazing and it was their 180 run stand that made India's victory possible.

Such occasions have been numerous and for the sake of brevity I would not go into those. At a time when there is a dearth of quality openers in world cricket, Sachin and Saurav come across as a fresh breath of air. They have dominated the world of Cricket in the last five years and with age on their side there future seems ominous. The dominance of this pair does not mean that there is no competition going around. Mark Waugh and Adam Gilchrist of Australia and the Springboks' Herschelle Gibbs and Gary Kirsten are sure to give this pair a tough fight but I am sure that their class and talent would see them through and I am also sure that while these two go on records would keep tumbling by the way side.

A legend is in the making, and the world would believe!!!