Is SS Das the best Indian opener in the post-Gavaskar period?

His performance with the bat and the confetti of praise that has been showered upon him raises this question: Is Shiv Sundar Das the best opening batsman the country has produced in the post-Gavaskar period?

I am inclined to answer that in the affirmative. Sure, he has played only eight Tests, not all against strong opposition. But the manner of his batting, that happy blend of talent, technique and temperament that he undoubtedly possesses, his attitude of never being satisfied and always wanting to learn more about the intricacies of his specialised field marks him out not only as a long term prospect - that is already taken for granted - but also one who can stay the course and deliver at consistent levels.

In 1946 in England, Vijay Merchant was seen going around with film reels of some of his innings he played on the tour. It so transpired that he had instructed a professional cameraman to take these films and then he used to watch the clippings to see how and why he made errors of judgement or technique while getting out and he made sure that he did not make the same mistakes again. And this was a tour on which Merchant made 2385 runs at an average of 74.53!

More than half a century later, another Indian opening batsman is following the same procedure in trying to rectify his mistakes. In an interview to a news agency during the all too brief off season, Das said that besides regular practice, he was watching his own cassettes of the series against Australia in an effort to iron out the technical faults responsible for his dismissals. A young man with that approach can only be, in racing parlance, a stayer and not a sprinter.

Das has freely acknowledged that it was the valuable tips given by past master Sunil Gavaskar and present master Sachin Tendulkar that have helped him. But then the unassuming Orissa captain has been a willing listener. His thirst to improve his game is unquenchable. "Gavaskar advised me to take leg-stump guard and I followed the suggestion in the third Test at Chennai making 84 in the first innings. Till the Kolkata Test, I used to take middle-stump guard, but Gavaskar pointed out that it left my leg stump exposed," said Das in an interview a couple of months ago. In the course of the same interview, Das admitted that "Tendulkar provided me psychological support and advised me to play my natural game without bothering about the bowling." This was when there were doubts whether the short statured Das would be able to combat the pace of Glenn McGrath and Jason Gillespie.

Despite his success, Das remains the modest young man with his head on his shoulders and his feet firmly planted on the ground. Having been adjudged man of the match after playing a leading role in India winning the first Test at Bulawayo last month, what else could he say but "maybe I got the runs, but I had a few close shaves. That is why before the second Test begins, I will have a session with Mr Gavaskar. Since he is on this tour, I will discuss a couple of problems that I am having." In passing he also said that he was unhappy with his backlift! And he won a lot of friends in an Indian society which still holds family values dear by dedicating the man of the match award to his parents and coach. Of course the man of the series award came as the icing on the cake.

In cricketing terms, Orissa is one of the backward states. It does not have a hoary cricketing tradition and cannot boast of the kind of facilities that may exist in Mumbai, Mohali, Kolkata or Chennai. For a cricketer to make good despite this handicap would require a fierce determination to succeed and Das has displayed this tenacity of purpose in abundant measure. He had to adapt himself both technically and mentally and has done it admirably.

At the moment, Das' figures are an impressive 635 runs at an average approaching 50. One century and five fifties is testimony to his consistency. His game is suited to Test cricket and thankfully the selectors have not considered him for the one day game which is just as well. Das' batting is technically perfect and he belongs to the old school of batsmanship from where Merchant and Gavaskar graduated with top honours. The initial promise he has shown augurs well for him - and Indian cricket. Thanks to the 23-year-old pint sized powerhouse, at least one half of India's perennial problem has been sorted out.