Former Indian captain Kapil Dev said that the poor form of Indian openers Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag is a big worry for the team ahead of the Test series against England and Australia, says a report in The Hindu.
“Of course, it is a cause of worry if players of that calibre don’t get runs. They have big reputations and when you have such big reputations then there is a case for you to defend that,” Kapil said.
“They are big players and it is important for them to score runs not only for the team but also for themselves otherwise there will be worrying signs,” he explained.
Meanwhile, The Times of India quoted former India spinner Maninder Singh saying, “Hasn't Sehwag given enough hints over the last year that he wants to bat in the middle-order? The team management needs to talk to him and know why he is saying this. Keeping in mind the tour to South Africa next December, it will be worthwhile to have him down the order and have someone like Ajinkya Rahane opening the innings in India. Sehwag's reflexes have clearly slowed down and we can't expect him to deliver in South Africa.”
On Gambhir, Maninder said, “Gambhir has put too much pressure on himself. He has passed comments during the off-season that he was ready for Test captaincy. And that adds to the pressure. He must go back to the people who have groomed him in the past and sort out the problems."