McCullum may open the batting for NZ

New Zealand are toying with the idea of opening the innings with Brendon McCullum in the upcoming series against India. McCullum announced his decision to quit wicketkeeping in Tests in June so that he could bat higher up the order, but said he would continue to keep in the limited-over formats. New Zealand's top-order woes have been a persistent theme for a long time, and they are hoping that McCullum will provide the solution.

Daniel Vettori said there would be a team meeting in the late evening on November 1, where they would decide whether to bat McCullum as an opener or at No.3. "I think he can set the tone opening or at number three," Vettori said. "Much like (Virender) Sehwag does for India. He really sets the tone for the team and takes a lot of pressure off the rest of the batsmen. I think Brendon can do that role, whether it is opening or at number three."

Wouldn't it have been better if the decision on the opening role was taken before coming to India? "I suppose it's the nature of not having a warm-up game and also, it's the nature of our cricket as well," Vettori said. "Those top three positions have been unsettled for the history of our game. It is a continual problem and something that we are always searching for. We are really hoping Brendon, with his experience as an opener in one-day cricket and his good form in Test cricket last year, can be a real solution."

McCullum sees it as an "exciting" opportunity and said he has decided to play aggressively. "In the past, I have been caught between the two approaches - aggression and fiddling around - and there have been a few interesting innings. Now I have decided that my best course of action is to be aggressive. I can take heart from the success of attacking openers like [Chris] Gayle, [Virender] Sehwag, Tamim Iqbal, [Tillakaratne] Dilshan or [Matthew] Hayden over the years.

Those players have remained true to their nature and have been a success. I want to bat aggressively at the top and do well for my team."

McCullum said his preparations for Tests have changed since he gave up the gloves. "It's a lot different but I don't want to get it too complicated. If you are just a batsman you can spend a lot of time grooving your technique. But I am a reactive and an instinctive batsman. I don't want to change that. I have just the lead-up to this Test in this new role; I am sure I will learn how to prepare as I go along."