In cricket, the opening partnerships are the most important in all three formats be it Test matches, One Day International, or T20s. The teams look to make a strong start whenever they are batting first or chasing a big target.
If a team gets the opening partnership of more than 100 in any format of the game, it is considered a great thing. A terrific opening partnership provides an excellent start to the batting team, helping the rest of the batters to play with more freedom.
Today, we are going to shed light on 10 such opening pairs who have given the best start to their teams, helping their team reach significant totals.
Most 100 Opening Partnerships in ODI Cricket History
Here’s the list of the most 100 opening partnerships in ODI cricket history:
| Rank | Opening Pair | Innings | Runs | 100s | 50s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | S Tendulkar – S Ganguly | 176 | 8227 | 26 | 29 |
| 2. | T Dilshan – K Sangakkara | 108 | 5475 | 20 | 19 |
| 3. | R Sharma – S Dhawan | 112 | 5023 | 17 | 15 |
| 4. | A Gilchrist – M Hayden | 117 | 5409 | 16 | 26 |
| 5. | G Greenidge – D Haynes | 103 | 5206 | 15 | 25 |
| 6. | J Bairstow – J Roy | 49 | 2826 | 13 | 11 |
| 7. | A Finch – D Warner | 70 | 3638 | 12 | 14 |
| 8. | H Amla – AB DeVilliers | 45 | 3111 | 12 | 8 |
| 9. | V Sehwag- S Tendulkar | 93 | 3919 | 12 | 18 |
| 10. | T Dilshan – U Tharanga | 77 | 3367 | 9 | 14 |
1. Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly – 26
Sachin and Ganguly were arguably, the best Indian openers of all time. In the 50 over format, Dada and Sachin gave many of us some wonderful memories through their opening stands.
Sachin and Sourav were the most successful opening partners in One Day International Cricket. The pair batted between 1996 to 2007 and shared 26 centuries of opening partnerships in ODIs, which is the most in the fifty overs format.
These two opening partners have scored 8227 runs in just 176 innings, and 258 runs were the highest score at the top position. They also have shared 29 fifty runs partnerships.
Read More: Sachin Tendulkar Net Worth, Monthly Income, Wife, House, Cars, Awards
2. Tillakaratne Dilshan and Kumar Sangakkara – 20
These two batters would take the game away in the starting overs. Sanga was one of the best wicket-keeper batters of all time. He was a stylish and elegant batter. At the same time, Dilshan was cheeky in his approach.
He used the Dil scoop to good effect to get big runs to his name. These two Lankan openers batted for 108 innings from 2000 to 2015, and they have scored 20 centuries partnerships, and 19 half-century stands at the opening position. Their best partnership was of unbeaten 210* runs.
2. Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma – 17
The current Best opening pair for India after Sachin and Sourav is Shikhar and Rohit.
These two players have done well for India. But the Men in Blue are spoilt for options in the form of KL Rahul at the top order, especially in the fifty overs cricket. The current pair of openers, Rohit and Dhawan, stands third in this list.
Rohit Sharma used to bat in the middle order when he started playing for India. But he wasn’t consistent at that position. MS Dhoni allowed Rohit to open, and his career changed from that point.
Dhawan is still a seasoned opener, and he will continue to be so. These two openers have batted for 113 matches from 2011 to 2022, and they have scored 5039 runs with 17 centuries and 15 half-centuries at the opening position. Their highest stand was 210 runs.
Read More: Rohit Sharma Net Worth, Salary, Wife, Car Collection, House, Endorsements
3. Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden – 16
Gilly and Hydos were the most destructive openers of their time. They fear in the opposition camp, and their opening starts were why Australia won five World Cups in the ODI format.
They even ruled Test cricket, stitching great partnerships and giving Australia an edge from the get-go.
Gilly and Hayden were in their prime form during the 2000 to 2008 period. Australia had some great start to their innings in the One Day International Cricket formats because of them.
The Aussie openers scored 5409 runs from 117 innings. Gilchrist and Hayden shared 16 hundred stands and 29 half-century stand in the fifty-over format. Their highest opening stand was 172 runs.
4. Gordon Greenidge and Desmond Haynes – 15
The West Indies ruled the World Cricket even before Australia. That was mainly because of their star-studded batting lineup and fearsome bowling attack.
Gordon Greenidge and Desmond Haynes were the opening batters of that era’s dominant West Indies team.
Greenidge and Hynes played from 1979 to 1991 for the two-time world cup champions, West Indies. They had put on 5206 runs in 103 ODI innings.
They had shared 15-century opening stands and 25 half-century stands for WI. Their highest stand was of unbeaten 192* runs.
5. Jason Roy and Johnny Bairstow – 13
The current most destructive opening pairs in the fifty overs format are Jason Roy and Johnny Bairstow. These two players are the first in this list as no other player from the UK has been mentioned above.
Roy and Bairstow helped England to win their maiden world cup in 2019.
England will be the defending champions for the 2023 world cup in India. Jason Roy and Johnny Bairstow will be required to show their class again for that event in India.
The English openers have played 49 innings from 2015 to 2021, and they have scored 2826 runs with 13 hundred and 11 fifties. Their highest opening partnership was 172 runs.
Read More: Jonny Bairstow Net Worth, IPL Salary, Wife, Biography, Car Collection, House
6. Aaron Finch and David Warner – 12
Finch and Warner are the second Australian openers on this list. Aaron Finch is the captain of Australia’s ODI and T20I formats, and David Warner is a pure class opener for the Aussies in all three formats.
Australia recently was crowned the World T20 Champions in the United Arab Emirates, and Warner played a big part in this win last year.
In the T20 format also, Finch and Warner hold the key for the Baggy Greens. They have partnered in 70 fifty-over games for Australia, and have scored 3638 runs in the ODIs as the opening batsmen.
They have shared 12-century partnerships and 14 half-centuries stand. Their best score as the opening partners was unbeaten 258* runs.
Read More: David Warner Net Worth, Salary Australia, Wife, Age, House, Car Collection
7. Hashim Amla and AB De Villiers – 12
Next up on our list of the most 100 opening partnerships in ODI cricket are the South-African duo AB De Villiers and Hashim Amla. These two great batsmen from South Africa have been renowned figures in all three formats and IPL.
ABD holds a special place because he was the main part of the cash-rich league tournament (IPL), while Amla was the best visiting batsman in India.
Amla and De Villiers had played as the opening batsmen in the fifty overs format for South Africa from 2008 to 2018. They had played together as the openers for 45 ODI matches, and they scored 3111 runs in this period.
They also have shared 12 centuries and eight half-centuries stand along with their highest score while opening the innings was 238 runs.
8. Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar – 12
The Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar was the best opener of all time. He had paired with Sourav Ganguly at the start of this list and makes a comeback with Virender Sehwag.
Just like watching Sourav and Sachin bat together was fun, the batting chemistry of Viru and Sachin was even more fabulous.
Team India did well in the One Day International match whenever their openers had built a strong foundation. Viru and Sachin played for 93 ODI Innings from 2002 to 2012, and in that, they have shared a partnership of 3919 runs.
They had 12 hundred run stands and 18 fifty run partnerships. Their highest score as the ODI partners was 182 runs.
Read More: Virender Sehwag Net Worth, Annual Income, Age, House, IPL Salary, Endorsements
9. Hashim Amla and Quinton De Kock – 11
The second pair of most destructive openers from South Africa are Hashim Amla and Quinton De Kock.
With De Kock, Amla has played 93 innings in the fifty overs format, and they have scored 4198 runs with11-century stands and 14 half-century stands. The best score between Amla and De Kock was unbeaten 282* runs.
Read More: Quinton De Kock Net Worth, Salary, Wife, House, Biography, Car Collection
10. TM Dilshan and Upul Tharanga – 9
TM Dilshan was the best Sri Lankan opener, and he had formed many opening stands with his fellow players.
Dilshan and Tharanga had played as the opening batters of the Lankan team for 77 innings from 2005 to 2015. They had shared a stand of 3367 runs with 9-century partnerships and 14 half-century opening stand.
Their highest runs were against Zimbabwe in the 2011 world cup, where they shared a stand of 282 runs.
Read More:
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- The Top 15 Best T20 Batsmen of All Time
- The Best T20 Bowlers Of All Time in Cricket
- The 15 Best Leg Spinners of All Time
Conclusion
So, there you have it, folks! These were the 10 most 100 opening partnerships in ODI cricket history. From Sachin and Sehwag to Amla and ABD, there have been many opening batters who have graced this game with their genius.
With batters like Rohit Sharma, Babar Azam, Markram, and more, the future of opening batsman in cricket is in great hands!
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