Well begun is half the job done

'India will go with the class and experience of Sourav Ganguly and the cavalier approach of either Virender Sehwag or Robin Uthappa' © Getty Images

In its fledgling years, one-day cricket didn't expect much of the opener, whose role was pretty much the same as it had always been in the five-day game - to see the shine off the new ball so that more talented strokeplayers down the order could express themselves with greater freedom. Then, fielding restrictions happened, and Martin Crowe's lateral thought decided to employ Mark Greatbatch as a dasher up the order. Both one-day cricket and the role of the opener would never again be the same.

Perhaps the most pivotal moment, though, took place at Eden Park in Auckland, and its 13th anniversary will fall on March 27, the day the serious business of the Super Eights starts in the Caribbean. On that day, chasing a meagre New Zealand total of 142, India elected to send Sachin Tendulkar as opener. In 49 balls, he smashed 82, with 15 fours peppering the boundary boards, and two other shots sailing over them.

One-day cricket, as we knew it, was irrevocably changed. Within a couple of seasons, Sri Lanka had taken it a step further, using the quicksilver eyes and incredibly powerful forearms of Sanath Jayasuriya to wreak havoc at the top of the innings. Though he failed in both the semi-final and the summit clash, Jayasuriya's devastating hitting was emblematic of Sri Lanka's much-feted success in the competition.

These days, teams don't hesitate to pack the top of the order with their most instinctive shot-makers, taking full advantage of the Power Play situations that so hamper a fielding captain's planning. With just two men out of the circle, even a mishit or a thick outside edge tends to race to the fence, or soar over it in the case of power-hitters like Andrew Symonds and Shahid Afridi.

Tendulkar remains the gold standard among one-day openers, with 11,731 runs at 48.27 from his 265 matches at the top. There have been a mind-boggling 93 scores over 50, 37 of the three-figure variety, and it will surprise more than a few that tactical considerations will see him bat down the order in the Caribbean.

India will instead go with the class and experience of Sourav Ganguly, who matched Tendulkar stroke for stroke in his late-'90s pomp, and the cavalier approach of either Virender Sehwag or Robin Uthappa. Uthappa hasn't been tested yet on lively pitches, but on slow and low ones, he can be devastating, hitting through the line with fearlessness and poise. Sehwag's frailties have been targetted by opening bowlers, but the small boundaries at the Caribbean grounds could play into the hands of a man who can be a force of nature when his mind's uncluttered and focussed.

It's no coincidence that two of the favourites have settled opening combinations. South Africa tried the likes of Boeta Dippenaar, but the exuberance and strokeplay of AB de Villiers was found to be the ideal foil for the bludgeoning approach that Graeme Smith offers. The left-right combination also never allows the field to settle, which is just about the only consolation that teams have when Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden stride out to mark their guards for Australia.

Gilchrist has plundered his runs at a stunning rate for nearly a decade, while Hayden's desire to exit in a blaze of glory saw him hold off the challenge of individuals like Simon Katich and Mark Cosgrove. Australia could still flirt with Shane Watson at the top in the odd game, but expect the old firm of Hayden and Gilchrist to cause more than the odd frisson of panic.

The other Southern Hemisphere contenders, New Zealand, have also been looking good lately, with the languid elegance of Stephen Fleming perfectly buttressed by the innovative approach that Lou Vincent offers. Fleming played one of the great one-day innings to nudge South Africa closer to elimination at the last World Cup, and his batting will be as vital as his captaincy if New Zealand are to take the next step and make a World Cup final.

England's pairing of Ed Joyce and Michael Vaughan has no great pedigree, and they remain one of the few teams to house their more lethal weapons, like Kevin Pietersen, in the middle order. The same can't be said of the hosts, whose batting line-up is as top-heavy as Dolly Parton. Chris Gayle of the monstrous hits and Shivnarine Chanderpaul of the unexpected explosions provide the oomph at the top, with Ramnaresh Sarwan and Brian Lara following suit.

It's a similar situation for Sri Lanka, where Jayasuriya and Upul Tharanga have forged a partnership even more successful than the one that Jayasuriya shared with Marvan Atapattu. Both left-handers are unafraid to hit over the infield, and the short-square boundaries will seem like an indecent proposal to Jayasuriya, whose short-arm jab over point has been one of the defining strokes of the modern age.

Of the top sides, Pakistan, who could once boast of the immensely talented Saeed Anwar, are the ones who tend to struggle most against the new ball. The pairing slated for the Caribbean - Imran Nazir and Mohammad Hafeez - are as inconsistent as they come. Kamran Akmal could get a look in at some stage, as might Shoaib Malik, but it's unlikely that Pakistan will win the World Cup on the back of runs from their openers.

The lesser teams could also throw up an interesting opening gambit or two. Shahriar Nafees is an exciting prospect for Bangladesh, while Canada's John Davison, even at the ripe old age of 36, will be hoping to reprise his pyrotechnics from the last event. We're not sure what to expect from the likes of Ireland and Scotland, but with the fields in and the ball new, you can rest assured that there'll be some surprise package willing to chance his arm, even against the world's best.

Given the nature of one-day cricket, well begun is nearly always half the job done. Tendulkar finished with 673 runs in South Africa, while Hayden and Gilchrist added 105 from just 14 overs to set the tone for an Australian demolition job in the final. The late-order slog merchants may be more flamboyant in their methods, but it'll most likely be those charting the course at the beginning that decide the destination of this World Cup.