Indian team’s Rohit Sharma experiment as a Test opener has ended up in success as the right-hander scored a century on his debut at the top. In an attempt to bring the mercurial batting star into the Test playing XI, the team management has taken this drastic step.

Opening in Tests is never easy and one of the best batsmen in the history of the game Sachin Tendulkar shared his views on what it takes to open the innings in Test matches. He felt that the philosophy and mindset required for the job are completely different.

“It’s all about the mindset. If somebody wants to open the innings, then he needs to have a different kind of mindset,” said Tendulkar, the highest run-getter in Test cricket.

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Tendulkar talked about Virender Sehwag, who started opening for India despite having made his Test debut in the middle order. “Sehwag had that different mindset. Be it an ODI or Test, he would more or less play in the same manner. That aggressive nature was always there. Again, it boils down to the capability and the potential of that particular player,” said Tendulkar.

“There is a number of guys, who want to be aggressive but to able to use that ammunition (aggression) consistently enough is something that Sehwag had been able to do. That number (opener) suited him. One needs to wait and see how it pans out (for Rohit),” Tendulkar further said.

“I think security has to be there. If you look at any number, there has to be that security and one need to feel that he belongs to the team. Players go through ups and downs, but if they know that management is backing them, they tend to think differently,” he feels.

(PTI inputs)