India's 3 best opening partnerships against Pakistan in ODIs

The tussle between India's top-order batters against Pakistan's new-ball bowlers has been one to watch out for since the early days. The even nature of the contest makes it a worthwhile one, with the one claiming advantage also making sure to make it count.

Indian opening batters have had their failures against Pakistan pacers at some point in time, but they have also tasted success and crossed some milestones in the process. Several of Team India's best and most iconic opening partnerships have come against Pakistan, which makes the endeavor a bit more fruitful.

It was one of those days for the Men in Blue as Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill put on 121 runs for the first wicket during the Asia Cup 2023 Super Four stage clash against the Men in Green. Both batters recorded their half-centuries and fell in quick succession, but provided a brilliant platform for the rest of the batting unit to capitalize on.

On that note, let us take a look at India's three best opening partnerships against Pakistan.

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#1 210 runs (India vs Pakistan; Asia Cup 2018; Dubai International Stadium)

The famous pairing of Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan stitched together the highest opening partnership for India, and second highest overall, during the Asia Cup 2018 Super Four clash at the Dubai International Stadium.

After having outplayed Pakistan in the group stages, Team India once again showed their prowess by restricting them to just 237-7 in the first innings.

Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma both recorded memorable hundreds, and the duo almost wrapped up the run chase all by themselves. The left-handed opening batter was, however, runout, in the 33rd over, with the target within sight.

The Men in Blue ended up winning the contest by nine wickets and Dhawan was adjudged the Player of the Match for his 114 runs off 100 deliveries.

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#2 159 runs (India vs Pakistan; Silver Jubilee Independence Cup Final; Dhaka)

During a time when the pair of Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly was flourishing at the top of the order, one of their finest displays together came against the arch-rivals in the first final of the Silver Jubilee Independence Cup.

Chasing 213 in the rain-curtailed encounter, the pair put on 159 runs in just 25 overs to make things easier for the Men in Blue to claim a 1-0 lead in the series. Tendulkar was the top scorer with 95 runs off 78 deliveries, while Ganguly chipped in with 68 runs off 87 deliveries.

Tendulkar was adjudged as player of the match for his exploits with the bat, as well as his spell with the ball, which resulted in three wickets for just 45 runs.

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#3 136 runs (India vs Pakistan; 2019 World Cup; Old Trafford, Manchester)

In the crunch India-Pakistan 2019 World Cup group-stage encounter, one of the finest opening stands was put up by a makeshift pair. The Men in Blue had to come up with a contingency plan following Shikhar Dhawan's injury.

KL Rahul, originally playing at No. 4, was promoted to the top of the order. Opening alongside Rohit Sharma, the pair put on 136 runs in 23.5 overs. Rahul played the perfect second fiddle to Sharma's aggression at the other end.

The platform provided by the openers was a luxury as the rest of the batters stepped up as well to put up a mammoth 336-5 in the first innings. Rohit played one of the best knocks of his life to end with 140 runs off 113 deliveries. While Rahul's 57 runs off 78 balls was not glamorous by any means, it was extremely crucial in the context of the game.

The Men in Blue ended up winning the game by a comfortable margin in the end to extend the illustrious World Cup streak over their neighbors.

Will the run stand between Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill be a match-winning one? Let us know what you think.