5 dream cross-generation openers who would have blunted out any attack in Test cricket

#1 Sunil Gavaskar and Virender Sehwag

Sunil Gavaskar and Virender Sehwag: A nightmare for any bowling attack

Arguably two of greatest openers in the history of test cricket complete our list. While Gavaskar believed in giving the proverbial first hour to the bowlers, Sehwag didn't even give the first over, thereby making for the perfect 'good cop, bad cop' opening pair.

In a career that spanned 16 years, Gavaskar was the mainstay of India's batting. A solid technique, compact defence and the ability to play every shot in the book meant that conditions and the quality of the attack couldn't have much of an effect on his game. What makes his achievements all the more remarkable is the fact that he never wore a helmet while batting.

To Sehwag, it didn't matter who he was facing; if he had decided to play a shot, he would play it. This devil-may-care attitude of his allowed him to terrorise the best of bowling attacks in the world for more than a decade. Notwithstanding his unconventional approach, he garnered enviable numbers; 8207 runs as an opener at an average of more than 50.

A Gavaskar-Sehwag opening partnership would have been a nightmare for any bowling attack.