After the departure of Sunil Gavaskar and K Srikkanth from the international scene, India have always struggled to find a suitable pair to open the innings. The names came up but faded away unable to cope with the rigours of the opening slot, which demands more than just skill from the players.When the India ‘A’ team begins its 45-day England tour on June 22, the issue of grooming openers will hold prime importance, says the side’s coach Sandip Patil.Speaking to reporters, Patil said, ‘‘We are working on specific positions and opening slot is one of them. I have been given directives by the Board of Control for Cricket in India. The players are also informed about what is expected of them.’’The India ‘A’ team have four openers in their ranks. Shiv Sundar Das (Orissa), Wasim Jaffer (Mumbai), Satyajit Parab (Baroda) and Gautam Gambhir (Delhi). Das’ latest Test for India was against West Indies at Jamaica in the 2001-02 series and Jaffer made his last appearance against England at Nottingham in 2002.
