Most century partnerships between openers in ODI cricket
Opening the batting is considered the toughest batting position in cricket by many, But some batters relished opening the batting and were complimented well by their opening partners. Here are some of the most successful opening batting pairs in ODI cricket as we look at the duo with the most century stands:
Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden (Australia) – 16 century stands
The traditionists in cricket maintained for years that an opening pair of a left-handed batter and a right-handed batter was the toughest for bowlers, but Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden threw the traditional methods out of the window with their rampant ball-striking abilities. While Hayden was the more intimidating figure at the crease, Gilchrist was often the accelerator with his fearless batting. The southpaw pair amassed 5372 runs while opening the batting alongside each other and sharing 16 100-run partnerships.
Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan (India)- 18 century stands
India have never been short of producing gifted batters, and Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan have arguably been the best opening pair over the last decade with their record batting being a testament to their batting prowess. The current Indian skipper, Rohit is a more volatile batter while the southpaw Dhawan has a penchant for grinding runs without drawing much attention. The veteran batters have recorded 18-century run stands while scoring 5125 runs in ODIs, as openers.
Sourav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar (India) – 21-century stands
Two of the greatest batters to have ever played the game, Sourav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar, were the perfect amalgamations of class and finesse at the top of the order. The pair was renowned for being exceptional timers of the cricketing ball and were masters at maneuvering the field and piercing gaps. Ganguly led the Indian side for the majority of his career as a fierce competitor, while his partner in crime Tendulkar was greatness personified at the crease. The iconic duo amassed 6609 while opening the batting, the most by any pair along with 21-century stands between them.
