It is the general belief that facing fast bowlers with the new ball makes opening more difficult than batting down the order. However, we tend to attach less importance of the value of making first use of a placid track and other perks of an opener’s job. Arunabha Sengupta analyses those batsmen who have opened as well as batted lower in Test cricket and concludes that there is no evidence to say that opening is a more challenging task.
Read MoreThe Claim "Playing for a weaker batting side handicaps a batsman" has no basis
We often hear the argument that a batsman’s efforts are more commendable when he makes runs for a weaker side. Arunabha Sengupta crunches numbers to show that there is no evidence that a batsman is handicapped by batting in a weaker side. On the contrary, there is plenty to suggest that such situations boost the career of a batsman.
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