Stats Alert: 5 best opening pairs in International cricket

The opening partnership is, perhaps, the most important partnership in cricket as it sets the tone for posting those huge scores. When a team loses a wicket early, they struggle to leave an impact and score big runs. And in the second innings, the team can more often fail to chase the target. Finding the right opening duo can be challenging for any team. 

Amidst such difficulties, there were a few opening pairs that sent shivers down the spine of the opposition. In this article, we will be talking five best opening pairs in International cricket history:

1) Gordon Greenidge and Desmond Haynes – 11632 runs:

Gordon Greenidge, Desmond Haynes (Image Source: Twitter)

Gordon Greenidge and Desmond Haynes are hailed one of the best opening pairs the game has ever seen. The duo was one of the toughest opening pairs to break. 

They put on a total of 11632 runs as an opening pair. In the 250 innings that they played as openers, they amassed these runs at an average of 49.49. This makes them one of the legendary opening pairs of all time. And this record might take a long time to be broken. 

2) Marvan Atapattu and Sanath Jayasuriya – 7851 runs:

Marvan Atapattu, Sanath Jayasuriya (Image Source: Twitter)

Marvan Atapattu and Sanath Jayasuriya stand second with 7851 runs to thier name. In terms of runs scored, the duo is still the best opening pair in the history of Sri Lanka cricket. 

In the 197 innings that they opened together, the duo amassed an aggregate of 7851 runs. This record makes them the second best in terms of runs scored as an opening pair across formats. 

3) Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma - 6868 runs:

Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma (Image Source: Teitter)

Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma joined hands as openers in the Champions Trophy 2013. The decision made by then skipper MS Dhoni changed the fortunes of India. 

Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma went on put 6868 runs as an opening pair across all formats. And the duo remains the best opening pair for India in the history of Indian Cricket. India are yet to find an opening pair as strong as them for the future. 

4) Gautam Gambhir & Virender Sehwag – 6827 runs:

Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir (Image Source: Twitter)

Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag were regarded as one of the most dangerous opening pairs that the game has ever seen. They amassed 6827 runs as openers for India. 

Virender Sehwag managed to score two triple hundreds and one double hundred in ODI cricket. Both shared great bond with each other and helped India win a number of matches together with stellar opening partnerships. 

5) Sourav Ganguly & Sachin Tendulkar – 6609 runs:

Sourav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar (Image Source: Twitter)

Sourav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar amassed a total of 6609 runs as an opening combination for India. The highest partnership among them is 258. And the average lies at about 49.32 

In 136 innings, the duo amassed more than 6600 runs as opening pair. These two were considered to be one of India’s best until Dhawan and Sharma started opening together in 2013. The duo lasted until 2007. And they started opening way back in 1996 for Team India.