World Cup 2019: 6 reasons why Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan will be the best opening pair of the tournament  

The swinging ball and seaming conditions as part of the World Cup 2019 in England makes opening the batting a difficult task to master. The openers will have a tough job of seeing out the initial few overs of the new ball. If they manage to come out unharmed from that, the players can easily play their natural game and get proper rewards for their shots.

The openers will have the crucial role of giving their teams a good start and laying out the platform for the batters to follow. In overcast conditions like those in England, the team's success more often than not coincides with the start provided by the openers.

Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan will open the batting for India in this tournament. They have been one of the world's best opening pairs over the years, and in order to see India make a strong case of lifting the World Cup, the duo must make sure they provide India the ideal start.

Here are six reasons why they might perform up to or exceed expectations and have a top show in this World Cup.

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#6 Big Match Players

India v Sri Lanka - ICC Champions Trophy

Dhawan and Rohit are big match players. They raise their game in pressure matches, be it bilateral ODI series decider, Champions trophy or the World Cup.

In ICC tournaments, only Gilchrist-Hayden (1539 runs) have more runs than Rohit-Dhawan (1195) while only Gibbs-Kirsten (77.40) have a higher average than Rohit and Dhawan, who average 66.38.

Dhawan and Rohit have been around for a long time. They are the senior players of the team and are into their second World Cup together. They will be eager to rectify their mistakes from the last time and perform well on the grand stage. They certainly have got the character to soak in the pressure and deliver on big stage.They just need to sustain their form and continue to play the brand of cricket they have been playing.

#5 Chemistry

Rohit and Shikhar share great bonding together.

Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan have great camaraderie on the field as well as off the field. They are great buddies off the field and absolutely love each other's company.

The feel good factor with your partner is crucial in any game. The comfort level is there for them together which reflects on their game as well. Together, they have the best innings/hundred ratio in history of ODI cricket as they have put together 15 century stands in 103 innings till now.

They rarely have miscommunications while running, and always back each other's game. Such an understanding is also very important in cricket and these minute things play an important factor in increasing self-confidence in the middle.

#4 Left-hand right-hand combination

Dhawan and Rohit in action during the warm-up game

Any cricket expert will say that a left-hand right-hand opening pair is a bonus for any team. Every captain prefers to have a left-hand right-hand opening pair, not just for tactical reasons but for psychological reasons as well.

The bowlers have to adjust their line and length specifically for each batsmen, the captains have to change their field for each batsmen and the fielders have to change their position each time the strike changes.

Such things disturb the momentum of the fielding side and puts a different sort of pressure on them. The bowlers tend to find difficulty in creating their natural constant rhythm. The flow of their game is hindered a bit which results in a few loose deliveries by the bowlers or a lapse in concentration for the fielders.

Both the batters are seasoned campaigners and can capitalize on such situations to release the pressure off them.

#3 Complementing each other's game

India v Pakistan - 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup

The Indian openers generally like to take their time and assess the conditions. Once set, they raise the run-rate slowly and steadily and have a great understanding of each other's game.

Even if a player plays out a maiden, the other backs him and tries to keep the scoreboard ticking. However, this doesn't mean they end up playing rash shots owing to which Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan have formed one of the most successful and responsible opening partnerships of all-time in ODI cricket.

Their level of consistency speaks volumes about the quality they possess. They are the second most successful opening pair for India (behind Sachin and Ganguly) and fourth most successful overall. Till now, they have added 4586 runs in 103 innings together at an astounding average of 44.96.

#2 Consistency

Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma

One of the biggest reason for India's remarkable success under Virat Kohli's leadership has been the consistency shown by the opening pair in the past few years. The number of runs put up by this fair not only indicates how well they negate the new ball but also shield the middle order from coming under pressure early.

The openers lay down the ideal foundation for Virat Kohli and other batters to launch and put up a solid score on board. In terms of average opening partnerships in winning matches among the modern openers, Dhawan-Rohit's average of 53.66 is only behind Hashim Amla - Quinton de Kock (61.38).

They are also the master in chases as they average 63.36 in winning chases, which is fifth highest overall and the highest among contemporary openers. The consistency level of Rohit and Shikhar is unparalleled and they are on their way to becoming one of the greatest ODI opening pairs of all time. A top show in the World Cup will only strengthen their legacy.

#1 Experience

Rohit and Shikhar will be opening in their second World Cup together.

Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan have been opening the batting for India for the past six years now in limited overs cricket. They have been providing strong starts consistently over the years.

They are known to raise their game a few levels up in the ICC tournaments. They are no strangers to the big stage and certainly, the pressure of playing in the World Cup will be lesser for them as compared to their counterparts because of having played and performing well before.

They were the best opening pair in 2017 champions trophy with an incredible average of 77 in 5 outings. Shikhar scored 338 runs in 5 innings while Rohit scored 304 runs in as many innings. Both scored one century and two half-centuries in the tournament two years back and had a one-two finish in the leading run-scorers chart.