Wisden overview
Until a back injury forced him out of the tour to South Africa in 2001-02, Sadagoppan Ramesh had been India's regular Test opener following the exit of Navjot Sidhu in 1999. He can make batting look like a breeze until he falls victim to the glue under his feet. His talent is unmistakable – there's an ease in strokemaking associated with the truly gifted. It's almost like he isn't trying, a surefire recipe for – sometimes unfair – condemnation. Completely just, however, is criticism of the footwork that makes him appear a sitting duck in good bowling conditions. Temperamentally, he is a curious mix of the unflappable and the casual. Pitchforked into the Test arena against an experienced Pakistan attack, he coolly made 323 runs in six innings. On several other occasions, he has frustrated by momentarily slipping out of the zone. He still can, like Frank Sinatra, do it his way, but organizing that footwork would help. Rahul Bhattacharya

© Wisden CricInfo Ltd