IPL 2009

Bangalore: Former Indian coach Lalchand Rajput, praising opener Gautam Gambhir’s new found success, said Gambhir-Virender Sehwag pair is the best India has produced.

"I have no doubt in my mind that the present Indian openers are the best we have produced simply because they have been successful in all forms of cricket (Tests, ODIs and Twenty20) and I personally would be surprised if they fail to serve the country in the same tempo for the next four to five years," Rajput told Cricketnext.com on Saturday.

"Agreed India has produced some great opening pairs in the past including Pankaj Roy-Vijay Merchant, Sunil Gavaskar- Chetan Chauhan in Test cricket and Sachin Tendulkar- Sourav Ganguly in the One-Dayers but the present pair takes the cake as they have excelled in all formats and should already being considered as one of the best pairs in the world as well," Rajput added.

Terming their association as a god-sent gift to the Indian team, Rajput said, they have clicked in a big way because of their understanding of each others’ game and the mutual respect they have for each other.

"Playing for the same state is a big advantage and their understanding of each others’ game is amazing. If Sehwag is struggling to face a particular bowler, Gambhir comes to his rescue by taking on that particular bowler and vice versa. And the respect they have for each others’ game should be seen to be believed and has made the captain’s task that much more easier," Rajput said.

"We all know the exploits of Sehwag and the bowlers round the world fear his reputation but not many know that Gambhir’s talent was quite evident even during the Challenger Series a few years ago.

So I don’t think any of the senior players in the Indian team or the team’s think-tank were surprised to see him score over 350 runs in the last four series at a stretch," Rajput added.

"The coaches in India, who have handled the teams represented by Gambhir, knew that he was something special because he could adopt very well to the match situations.

"When I coached India Red in the Challenger Series limited overs tournament a couple of years ago, he played some contrasting innings to perfection. In one match he batted throughout the fifty overs when the situation demanded," the former Indian opener pointed out.

"This pair can only get better and better and within two years should be causing nightmares to all sorts of bowlers because to contain one Sehwag on song is a tough ask and you can imagine what kind of damage they can wreck in pairs. Not many teams can take that kind of an onslaught I am sure," he added.

"The best part of their association is the right-left combination, which does not make the bowlers’ task any easier. Plus their ability to accelerate whenever they want and drop anchor when the need arises make them something special. Having two explosive batsmen at the top is always a big advantage to the team," Rajput noted.

New Delhi: While Harbhajan Singh got among the wickets in New Zealand, the second spinner in the Indian squad, Amit Mishra, couldn't break into the eleven. But now with the IPL approaching, Mishra's fingers are twitching and he is raring to go.

The plain white jerseys move to the back of the closet. It's time to change into the colours of the IPL. Dressed in Delhi Daredevil's new red and blue, Mishra is happy to have been part of the win in New Zealand, although he just warmed the bench.

"It's a different feeling altogether when you are part of an Indian team. We won a series in New Zealand after 41 years. So I feel proud," he says.

The Daredevils, though will definitely have a spot for him in the starting eleven. A lot has changed since the first IPL season in the life of this leggie.

"Not many people knew me last year," he says. "But after performing in the IPL and for the Indian team, expectations have risen."

That they definitely are. Umang Bedi, the lucky winner of the radio contest who got to welcome Mishra home has big hopes from his Daredevil. "He took a hat-trick last year. I hope he takes a hat-trick in every game this time," are his wishes.

The tour of New Zealand may not be a personal milestone for Amit Mishra but the second season of IPL certainly has his fans expecting a lot more from him.