India had a very long home season having back to back Test series against New Zealand, England, Bangladesh and Australia. Led by Virat Kohli, the team put together an outstanding show winning all the series and it added to India’s grip at the top of the ICC Test team rankings. It was first the Kiwis who lost all the 3 Tests, then the Englishmen received a 4-0 hammering with a Test being drawn followed by Bangladesh being beaten in the one-off Test and the latest being the Aussies who were beaten by 2-1. As a result of the wonderful season, India strengthened their grip on top of the ICC Test rankings.

Although India dominated the most of the season, there were some of the players from the opposition that stood out. Opening the innings on Indian surfaces can be a tricky job as the batsmen have to face all the heat first up. All the teams had an interesting combination of an experienced and a young batsman at the top. Where the experienced lads like Martin Guptill, Alastair Cook and David Warner failed miserably, the youngsters stood up and showed some magnificent character.

Here are the 4 opposition young opening batsmen who made a mark during India’s home season:

<img loading="lazy" class="wp-image-104554 size-full" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Tom-Latham.jpg" alt="New Zealand" width="600" height="420" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-104554" class="wp-caption-text">Tom Latham, New Zealand. (Photo by Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images)</figcaption>

The New Zealand team had a dismal outing in all the three Tests and they failed to get past the score of 300 on pitches that were good for batting. But there was one batsman who was consistently doing well for them. The 24-year-old Tom Latham was perhaps the best Kiwi batsman on the tour.

The left-hander scored 194 runs in 6 innings and ended up as the second highest run-getter for New Zealand just behind Luke Ronchi. He scored half-centuries in all the three Tests and had scores of 58, 74 and 53. More than anything else, it was his grit and the eagerness to grind it out in the middle that impressed the most.

<a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2016/12/Haseeb-Hameed-2.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-97577" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Haseeb-Hameed-2.jpg" alt="Haseeb Hameed" width="600" height="461" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-97577" class="wp-caption-text">Haseeb Hameed. (Photo Source: BCCI)</figcaption>

The English side travelled to India and there was a lot of focus on their captain Alastair Cook who did superbly well on his last tour to India. But he failed miserably this time but when the limelight was on the captain, the other opener Haseeb Hameed quietly kept building his reputation as a classic Test batsman.

The world hadn’t seen what he was capable of before the series, but when the tour was over, the 20-year-old had earned a number of admirers. He impressed one and all with his solid technique and the ability to tackle the quality spinners. The right-hander scored 219 runs in 6 innings with 2 fifties but it was the innings of 59 off 156 balls in the second innings in Mohali that he played with an injured hand that made us all fall for him.

<a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2016/12/Keaton-Jennings-1.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-99629" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Keaton-Jennings-1.jpg" alt="Keaton Jennings" width="600" height="411" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-99629" class="wp-caption-text">Keaton Jennings. (Photo Source: BCCI)</figcaption>

The injury to Hameed made way to another youngster Keaton Jennings who made his debut in the fourth Test in Mumbai. He was fortunate to have found a very good batting pitch at Wankhede first up and to his credit, made full use of it. He scored 112 runs off 219 balls with 13 boundaries.

It was a century on debut for him as he added 99 runs for the first wicket with Alastair Cook and helped his team to score 400 runs. The left-hander followed it up with another good inning of 54 in the second innings in Chennai. Although England were beaten comprehensively, the openers’ performances were certainly the bright spots in the series.

<a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2017/03/Matthew-Renshaw.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-117904" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Matthew-Renshaw.jpg" alt="Matthew Renshaw" width="600" height="438" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-117904" class="wp-caption-text">Matthew Renshaw. (Photo Source: BCCI)</figcaption>

The 20-year-old was in a great form before the series having scored a hundred against Pakistan at home. He began beautifully on the India’ tour when he scored 68 in the first innings in Pune. The pitch was turning miles but he showed the courage to guts it out. It was his efforts that played a key role in Australia’s win in the first Test.

He backed it up with a 60 in the next match in Bangalore and in total, he accounted for 232 runs in 8 innings. It was quite pleasing to see a youngster prepared to put down the anchor and grind it out against the top quality spinners of India. The tour to India will do his confidence a world of good and he is a great prospect for the Aussies for the future.

India had a very long home season having back to back Test series against New Zealand, England, Bangladesh and Australia. Led by Virat Kohli, the team put together an outstanding show winning all the series and it added to India’s grip at the top of the ICC Test team rankings. It was first the Kiwis who lost all the 3 Tests, then the Englishmen received a 4-0 hammering with a Test being drawn followed by Bangladesh being beaten in the one-off Test and the latest being the Aussies who were beaten by 2-1. As a result of the wonderful season, India strengthened their grip on top of the ICC Test rankings.
Although India dominated the most of the season, there were some of the players from the opposition that stood out. Opening the innings on Indian surfaces can be a tricky job as the batsmen have to face all the heat first up.&nbsp;All the teams had an interesting combination of an experienced and a young batsman at the top. Where the experienced lads like Martin Guptill, Alastair Cook and David Warner failed miserably, the youngsters stood up and showed some magnificent character.
Here are the 4 opposition young opening batsmen who made a mark during India’s home season:
<h4>#1 Tom Latham</h4>
<figure id="attachment_104554" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-104554" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="wp-image-104554 size-full" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Tom-Latham.jpg" alt="New Zealand" width="600" height="420" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img><figcaption id="caption-attachment-104554" class="wp-caption-text">Tom Latham, New Zealand. (Photo by Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
The New Zealand team had a dismal outing in all the three Tests and they failed to get past the score of 300 on pitches that were good for batting. But there was one batsman who was consistently doing well for them. The 24-year-old Tom Latham was perhaps the best Kiwi batsman on the tour.
The left-hander scored 194 runs in 6 innings and ended up as the second highest run-getter for New Zealand just behind Luke Ronchi. He scored half-centuries in all the three Tests and had scores of 58, 74 and 53. More than anything else, it was his grit and the eagerness to grind it out in the middle that impressed the most.
<h4>#2 Haseeb Hameed</h4>
<figure id="attachment_97577" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-97577" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2016/12/Haseeb-Hameed-2.jpg"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-97577" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Haseeb-Hameed-2.jpg" alt="Haseeb Hameed" width="600" height="461" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-97577" class="wp-caption-text">Haseeb Hameed. (Photo Source: BCCI)</figcaption></figure>
The English side travelled to India and there was a lot of focus on their captain Alastair Cook who did superbly well on his last tour to India. But he failed miserably this time but when the limelight was on the captain, the other opener Haseeb Hameed quietly kept building his reputation as a classic Test batsman.
The world hadn’t seen what he was capable of before the series, but when the tour was over, the 20-year-old had earned a number of admirers. He impressed one and all with his solid technique and the ability to tackle the quality spinners. The right-hander scored 219 runs in 6 innings with 2 fifties but it was the innings of 59 off 156 balls in the second innings in Mohali that he played with an injured hand that made us all fall for him.
#3 Keaton Jennings
<figure id="attachment_99629" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-99629" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2016/12/Keaton-Jennings-1.jpg"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-99629" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Keaton-Jennings-1.jpg" alt="Keaton Jennings" width="600" height="411" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-99629" class="wp-caption-text">Keaton Jennings. (Photo Source: BCCI)</figcaption></figure>
The injury to Hameed made way to another youngster Keaton Jennings who made his debut in the fourth Test in Mumbai. He was fortunate to have found a very good batting pitch at Wankhede first up and to his credit, made full use of it. He scored 112 runs off 219 balls with 13 boundaries.
It was a century on debut for him as he added 99 runs for the first wicket with Alastair Cook and helped his team to score 400 runs. The left-hander followed it up with another good inning&nbsp;of 54 in the second innings in Chennai. Although England were beaten comprehensively, the openers’ performances were certainly the bright spots in the series.
<h4>#4 Matt Renshaw</h4>
<figure id="attachment_117904" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-117904" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2017/03/Matthew-Renshaw.jpg"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-117904" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Matthew-Renshaw.jpg" alt="Matthew Renshaw" width="600" height="438" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-117904" class="wp-caption-text">Matthew Renshaw. (Photo Source: BCCI)</figcaption></figure>
The 20-year-old was in a great form before the series having scored a hundred against Pakistan at home. He began beautifully on the India’ tour when he scored 68 in the first innings in Pune. The pitch was turning miles but he showed the courage to guts it out. It was his efforts that played a key role in Australia’s win in the first Test.
He backed it up with a 60 in the next match in Bangalore and in total, he accounted for 232 runs in 8 innings. It was quite pleasing to see a youngster prepared to put down the anchor and grind it out against the top quality spinners of India. The tour to India will do his confidence a world of good and he is a great prospect for the Aussies for the future.

India had a very long home season having back to back Test series against New Zealand, England, Bangladesh and Australia. Led by Virat Kohli, the team put together an outstanding show winning all the series and it added to India’s grip at the top of the ICC Test team rankings. It was first the Kiwis who lost all the 3 Tests, then the Englishmen received a 4-0 hammering with a Test being drawn followed by Bangladesh being beaten in the one-off Test and the latest being the Aussies who were beaten by 2-1. As a result of the wonderful season, India strengthened their grip on top of the ICC Test rankings.
Although India dominated the most of the season, there were some of the players from the opposition that stood out. Opening the innings on Indian surfaces can be a tricky job as the batsmen have to face all the heat first up. All the teams had an interesting combination of an experienced and a young batsman at the top. Where the experienced lads like Martin Guptill, Alastair Cook and David Warner failed miserably, the youngsters stood up and showed some magnificent character.
Here are the 4 opposition young opening batsmen who made a mark during India’s home season:
<h4>#1 Tom Latham</h4>
<figure id="attachment_104554" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-104554" style="width: 600px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="wp-image-104554 size-full" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Tom-Latham.jpg" alt="New Zealand" width="600" height="420" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-104554" class="wp-caption-text">Tom Latham, New Zealand. (Photo by Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
The New Zealand team had a dismal outing in all the three Tests and they failed to get past the score of 300 on pitches that were good for batting. But there was one batsman who was consistently doing well for them. The 24-year-old Tom Latham was perhaps the best Kiwi batsman on the tour.
The left-hander scored 194 runs in 6 innings and ended up as the second highest run-getter for New Zealand just behind Luke Ronchi. He scored half-centuries in all the three Tests and had scores of 58, 74 and 53. More than anything else, it was his grit and the eagerness to grind it out in the middle that impressed the most.
<h4>#2 Haseeb Hameed</h4>
<figure id="attachment_97577" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-97577" style="width: 600px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2016/12/Haseeb-Hameed-2.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-97577" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Haseeb-Hameed-2.jpg" alt="Haseeb Hameed" width="600" height="461" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-97577" class="wp-caption-text">Haseeb Hameed. (Photo Source: BCCI)</figcaption></figure>
The English side travelled to India and there was a lot of focus on their captain Alastair Cook who did superbly well on his last tour to India. But he failed miserably this time but when the limelight was on the captain, the other opener Haseeb Hameed quietly kept building his reputation as a classic Test batsman.
The world hadn’t seen what he was capable of before the series, but when the tour was over, the 20-year-old had earned a number of admirers. He impressed one and all with his solid technique and the ability to tackle the quality spinners. The right-hander scored 219 runs in 6 innings with 2 fifties but it was the innings of 59 off 156 balls in the second innings in Mohali that he played with an injured hand that made us all fall for him.
#3 Keaton Jennings
<figure id="attachment_99629" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-99629" style="width: 600px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2016/12/Keaton-Jennings-1.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-99629" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Keaton-Jennings-1.jpg" alt="Keaton Jennings" width="600" height="411" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-99629" class="wp-caption-text">Keaton Jennings. (Photo Source: BCCI)</figcaption></figure>
The injury to Hameed made way to another youngster Keaton Jennings who made his debut in the fourth Test in Mumbai. He was fortunate to have found a very good batting pitch at Wankhede first up and to his credit, made full use of it. He scored 112 runs off 219 balls with 13 boundaries.
It was a century on debut for him as he added 99 runs for the first wicket with Alastair Cook and helped his team to score 400 runs. The left-hander followed it up with another good inning of 54 in the second innings in Chennai. Although England were beaten comprehensively, the openers’ performances were certainly the bright spots in the series.
<h4>#4 Matt Renshaw</h4>
<figure id="attachment_117904" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-117904" style="width: 600px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2017/03/Matthew-Renshaw.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-117904" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Matthew-Renshaw.jpg" alt="Matthew Renshaw" width="600" height="438" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-117904" class="wp-caption-text">Matthew Renshaw. (Photo Source: BCCI)</figcaption></figure>
The 20-year-old was in a great form before the series having scored a hundred against Pakistan at home. He began beautifully on the India’ tour when he scored 68 in the first innings in Pune. The pitch was turning miles but he showed the courage to guts it out. It was his efforts that played a key role in Australia’s win in the first Test.
He backed it up with a 60 in the next match in Bangalore and in total, he accounted for 232 runs in 8 innings. It was quite pleasing to see a youngster prepared to put down the anchor and grind it out against the top quality spinners of India. The tour to India will do his confidence a world of good and he is a great prospect for the Aussies for the future.

Four overseas teams toured India in the recently concluded home season and all of them brought in young openers who did well in the subcontinent.

Four young overseas openers who impressed during India's home season

India had a very long home season having back to back Test series against New Zealand, England, Bangladesh and Australia. Led by Virat Kohli, the team put