3 opening pairs with most 100+ partnerships in ODI cricket
Opening pairs are one of the most important constituents in any ODI batting line-up. They lay down the foundation of an innings and the bigger the opening stand, the better are the chances of the batting team putting up a big score.
The best opening pairs in ODI cricket are mainly from the 1990s era and beyond as the teams, for the first 15-odd years of this format of the game, were trying to get a grasp of it. They even enjoyed a 15-over mandatory powerplay till the middle of the first decade of this century.
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Four opening pairs in the history of ODIs have put up over 5000 runs. Among these, the pair of Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly has been the most successful in the history of the format.
Continuing on this theme, let's take a look at the top three opening pairs in ODI cricket on the basis of most century partnerships.
#3 Matthew Hayden and Adam Gilchrist (2000-2008) - 16
One of the most fearsome opening pairs of all-time, Matthew Hayden and Adam Gilchrist, had been the cornerstone of Australia's highly successful period of the 2000s.
Both Hayden and Gilchrist are outright legends of the game. The duo won the Champions Trophy in 2006, the World Cup twice and a plethora of series while batting at the top of the pile for an all-conquering Australian team.
The duo registered 16 century stands while batting together, the most by any Australian opening pair. In 117 innings together, the two left-handers compiled 5,409 runs at an average of 47.4.
#2 Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan (2013 - still ongoing ) - 18
The only opening pair in this list which is currently active, Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan, are perhaps the best modern-day opening pair in ODI cricket. Since their genesis, at the 2013 Champions Trophy, the two have grown from strength to strength and have been extremely consistent.
Most times batted together for India in ODI
176 times - Sachin/Ganguly
114 times - Sachin/Sehwag
113 times - Rohit/Dhawan*
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The left-right pair of Rohit and Dhawan has accumulated 5,108 runs in 112 innings, with 18 century stands, and their highest stand being 210 runs.
In the recently-concluded first ODI between India and England, the pair marked their record 18th century partnership, which aided the Men in Blue to a 10-wicket win at the Kennington Oval.
#1 Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly (1996-2007) - 21
Two of India's greatest batters in history, Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly, formed a prolific pair up top and amassed an abundance of runs.
Tendulkar and Ganguly were the core of India's accomplished batting line-up for a long period, from late 1990s to late 2000s, scoring runs both home and away. The Tendulkar-Ganguly duo is the most successful opening pair in ODIs with 6,609 runs in 136 innings (the most by any opening duo).
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They were part of as many as 21 century partnerships, including a 258-run stand against Kenya at Boland Park in 2001. The most successful pair in 50-over cricket history opened for the last time in this format in 2007, against Pakistan in Gwalior, with India winning the game by six wickets.