3 cricket batsmen who became legends after becoming an opener

#2. Tillakaratne Dilshan

As an opener, Dilshan is the fifth most century scorer in ODI cricket.

An underrated batsman, Tillakaratne Dilshan is one of the 14 batsmen in ODI cricket history to have scored over 10,000 runs. As an aggregate, Dilshan scored 10,290 runs at 39.27 in 330 ODIs, with 22 centuries and 47 half-centuries. But, the bulk of these numbers was recorded when he became an opener for Sri Lanka.

In 2008, during the tri-series, being played between Australia, India, and Sri Lanka, the Sri Lankan captain Mahela Jayawardene made Dilshan open the batting against India in a rain-curtailed match. Dilshan revelled in the opportunity by scoring 62 not out to hand his team a crucial win in the series. Dilshan was demoted again for some time before becoming the regular opener from the away series against Pakistan in 2008-09.

Dilshan had made his debut in 1999 against Zimbabwe, and scored 35 runs, batting at number six. Before opening for the first time at international level, Dilshan had mediocre statistics; an average of 29.47 in 133 matches with a sole century and 13 half-centuries. As an opener, Dilshan scored 7,367 runs at 46.04 in 179 matches, with the help of 21 centuries and 34 half-centuries.