Opening partnerships are the foundation of any cricket innings be it test cricket, ODI or T20I cricket. The bigger the opening stand the better are the chances of the batting team to put up a big score for the opposing team to chase or try to match that. The best opening pairs are those who can deliver the big partnerships on a regular basis and give a solid foundation at the top of the order.
The best opening pairs in ODI cricket are majorly from the 1990s era and beyond because teams fir the first 15 odd years were trying to get the grasp of the new format of cricket that they were playing and from 1990 onwards we saw opening pairs from all countries shine. So, let’s see the Top 10 best opening pairs in ODI cricket history.
1. Sourav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar (6609 Runs):
There is hardly any doubt in anyone’s mind as to who is the best opening pair in ODI history and it is Sachin and Sourav as they gave India the perfect starts for over a decade. In the 136 innings that they have batted together, 21 times they have given India an opening partnership of over 100 and 23 times they have crossed the 50 mark which is absolutely astonishing. The opposition bowling attack used to be fearful of these two greats at the top of the order.
2. Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden (5372 Runs):
This destructive pair from Australia is the second best opening pair and probably one of the most brutal as well. They batted together at the top for 114 innings and scored 5372 runs together and with it 16 century opening partnerships and 29 times they crossed 50 as an opening pair, they were revered by all teams and they had to get these two out or else they will take the game away.
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3. Gordon Greenidge and Desmond Haynes (5150 Runs):
This is the only opening pair which is before the 1990s era and they were the opening pair of the greatest West Indies team of the 1970-1990 where they completely dominated world cricket. They played for 102 innings together as openers and amassed over 5000 runs and along with it 15 partnerships of over 100 and 24 times they went over the 50 mark.
4. Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma (4978 Runs and counting):
This is one of the few opening pairs In this list that is still very much going strong and they will add lots more runs together and maybe go on further up this list in the future. Till now they have batted together for India 110 times and in these times they have managed to score 17 century opening partnerships for India and 15 partnerships of over 50 and there is no doubt that more partnerships will be added by this great pair.
5. Hashim Amla and Quinton de Kock (4198 Runs):
The best opening pair for South Africa in the history of ODI cricket and they were great together. They batted together 93 times and in those 93 times they were able to score a century stand 11 times and 14 times they were able to score a half century opening partnership. Truly one of the great opening partnerships ever.
6. Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar (3919 Runs):
The third opening pair from India in the top 6 of this list goes to show that the opening partnership for India in ODIs has never been a problem as their openers have delivered for them. This pair batted together for 93 innings and they had 12 century opening partnerships and 18 half century opening partnerships during their time as an opening pair.
7. Adam Gilchrist and Mark Waugh (3853 Runs) -
The second opening partnership from Australia and it again features Adam Gilchrist, this shows how great of an opener Adam Gilchrist was. This pair also batted for 93 innings together and they had 8 hundred runs opening partnership and 20 times they crossed the 50 mark as an opening pair.
8. Aaron Finch and David Warner (3638 Runs):
A Modern opening pair for Australia and a deadly left right combo as well. They opened the batting together in 70 innings and they were able to score 100 runs + an impressive 12 times and 14 times they scored more than 50 runs as an opening pair.
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9. David Boon and Geoff Marsh (3523 Runs):
Just like India, Australia loves it’s opening batters in ODIs. This pair was no different as they only batted together for 6 years but they made a mark in the cricketing world. They batted for 88 innings together and scored a century opening partnership 7 times and 25 times they scored more than 50 runs together.
10. Marvan Atapattu and Sanath Jayasuriya (3382 Runs):
The first opening partnership from Sri Lanka to feature on this list and it is a legendary one. These two batters opened the innings 105 times and they scored a century opening partnership 6 times and 19 times they scored a halt century opening partnership. One of the all time best opening pairs.
Also Read: Top 10 Best partnerships by India in ODIs
