Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan become the most successful pair in T20Is
In the ongoing Twenty-20 series between India and West Indies, the Indian opening pair of Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan stamped their name on a new record. The duo became the most successful pair in T20 Internationals after adding the first 10 runs of the Indian innings in the second match of the series. It took 39 innings for India's second most successful ODI opening pair to become world's most successful pair in T20 Internationals. Before the start of the match, they had put together 1145 runs cumulatively and were the third best pair in T20Is.
Earlier, the record was held by the Australian pair of David Warner and Shane Watson - who have 1154 runs to their name in 37 innings at an average of 31.18. As the Indian pair was at no. 3 (on the record list) before this match, they also surpassed the Kiwi pair of Martin Guptill and Kane Williamson, who have a total of 1151 runs in 24 innings with an outstanding average rate of 50.04. The other Indian pair in the list of the top 10 most successful pairs in T20Is is the duo of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.
The pair of Sharma and Dhawan have 2 hundred plus and 4 fifty plus partnerships to their name since 2013, when they first became the T20 partners. They have been scoring at an average of 30.13 for India, with their best partnership being the opening stand of 160 against Ireland where India emerged victorious by 76 runs. The two are still going strong for the Men in Blue and are likely to retain the position of openers in the coming years as well to extend further the record they have just made.
It is not only the T20 format where the duo is serving the Indian team so consistently but they have been showing great performances in ODIs as well. Recently, the combination became the 4th most successful opening pair in ODIs as well which shows they are two of the most important cogs for the national team and huge assets.
India's batting line-up is considered as one of World's strongest line-up and the pair of Rohit-Dhawan is a major reason behind such consideration. The duo is seen as the backbone of Indian batting and is also may also prove to be a strong link for success in the upcoming World Cup in 2019.