Most Runs Partnership By Indian Openers: India have produced many great batsmen in the history of ODI cricket, including the leading international run-scorer of all time.
Most of the iconic batsmen from India have batted in the top order. From Sunil Gavaskar and Navjot Sidhu to Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag to Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill.
Batting in the opening positions in any form of the game is a bit tricky as you have to deal with the swinging ball. But once after seeing off the shine and having settled their eyes in, the openers can cash in for good runs for the rest of the innings.
In this article, we will reveal to you India’s top 5 opening pairs in ODI cricket.
Most Runs Partnership By Indian Openers in ODIs:
Sourav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar – 6609 runs
The legendary duo of Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly is not only India’s most successful opening pair, but they hold the record for the Highest opening partnership in ODI history.
Most Runs Partnership By Indian Openers: Tendulkar and Ganguly are at the top of the list.
The pair added 6609 runs in 136 innings they opened together from 1996 to 2007, their opening stands averaging 49.32 apiece, which is even better than Australia’s iconic duo of Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden who averaged 48.39.
Tendulkar and Ganguly were involved in a world-record 21-century stand as openers. They hold the record for the highest opening partnership for India in an ODI innings – 285 against Kenya in 2001 in Paarl.
The pair was, however, surprisingly, separated ahead of the 2007 World Cup, where India suffered an agonizing group-stage exit.
Also Read: Most Runs Partnership By Indian Openers
Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma – 5148 runs
Another highly successful right-left opening combo for India was that of Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan. First joining hands in 2013, Rohit and Dhawan opened together in 115 ODI innings, amassing 5148 runs at an average of 45. They laid the foundations for India’s wins in the 2013 Champions Trophy.
Rohit and Dhawan have the 4th highest ODI opening partnership runs of all time. The pair notched up 18 century opening partnerships, with a best of 210 against Pakistan in the 2018 Asia Cup in Dubai.
Also Read: Most Runs Partnership By Indian Openers
Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar – 3919 runs
Best opening pair in ODI for India in Between 2002 and 2012, Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar gave glorious memories for the Indian fans in their 93 opening partnerships in ODIs, wherein they forged 3919 runs at an average of 42.13. Sehwag and Tendulkar, both of whom hurt the opposition bowlers with their contrasting styles of play, raised 12 ODI hundred stands together at the top of the order.
Tendulkar and Sehwag’s dynamic batting at the top was crucial in India’s 2011 World Cup triumph.
Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag – 1870 runs
When Tendulkar and Ganguly were shifted down the order to provide experience in the middle, India inadvertently created another strong opening set of Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag.
Another of the great left-and-right opening pairs that India have produced, Gambhir and Sehwag cracked 1870 runs in only 38 opening stands, spread across a 10-year period from 2003 to 2013. They averaged a whopping 50.54 as opening partners with 5 century partnerships to their record.
Also Read: Most runs partnership in ODI for India
Sunil Gavaskar, Kris Srikkanth – 1680 runs
For this last entry in Most Runs Partnership By Indian Openers, we have to go back to the 1980s, the period that was significant in India’s cricketing history as Kapil Dev’s side won the 1983 World Cup. India’s opening pair between 1981 and 1987 comprised the resilient Sunil Gavaskar along with the flashy Kris Srikkanth.
Gavaskar and Srikkanth opened in 55 ODIs, their opening stand averaging 30.54, which was still a good result in those days when ODI cricket was played with the red-ball that offered significant swing and seam movement for new ball bowlers than the white Kookaburra ball does.
Also Read: Top 5 Most Partnership Runs By Indian Openers In ODIs
Get ICC World Cup 2023 Live Score & ICC World Cup 2023 Team Squads along with ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 at IceCric.News and Follow for Live Updates – Twitter, Facebook & Instagram.
