The craft of batting has transpired a lot over the years which extols the beauty of cricket. Batting is not just about scoring tons of runs, it’s also about the flair and grace some batsmen bring to the table to enthrall the viewers.
Different batting positions offer different challenges to batsmen, but the toughest of them all is to open the innings, when the ball is new. An opening batsmen should have the required skill to open the innings because there is a good chance that a batsman’s technique might get exposed when the ball is new.
Trending
Since India started playing cricket they have produced many great opening batsmen whose contribution to Indian cricket has been significant. The likes of Sunil Gavaskar, Krishnamachari Srikkanth, Navjot Singh Sidhu paved the way to several classy opening batsmen.
Here, we have a look at the top 5 best Indian opening batsman of all time in ODIs.
#5 Rohit Sharma
From being an average middle-order batsman to become a prolific opening batsman, Rohit Sharma has come a long way and has made the opening spot his own, thanks to the Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who believed in his potential and backed him up.
An average which was floating around the mid 30’s, has now increased to 42, and as an opener, he averages 50, which is a brilliant number.
The first glimpse of Sharma opening the batting took place during the Champions Trophy back in 2013, where he had a productive tournament, and since then, the Mumbai batsman hasn't looked back.
(Video Courtesy: M7 Cricket YouTuve Channel)
He went on to break many ODI records and has placed himself as one of the best opening batsmen in the modern generation. Opening the batting has definitely helped Rohit’s approach to the game; not alone his technique, but the mental aspect of the game too.
The 29-year-old has achieved a special feat in his ODI career which no batsman could dream of doing – he is the only batsman to have scored two double centuries in ODI’s. Sharma has scored 5008 runs in 148 matches at an impeccable average of 42.08, with a highest individual score of 264, which is very unlikely to be broken.
#4 Gautam Gambhir
It is rare to see the opening batsman from Delhi smile, but it isn’t rare to see him perform with the bat. Gambhir redefined the art of playing spin bowling, which has been the biggest asset to his game.
Gambhir has the ability to play the aggressive game as well as the waiting game, and the 35-year old has proved that he is the man for big occasions many times in his career.
(Video Courtesy: Star Sports YouTube Channel)
Indian fans will remember the platform he laid for India after the loss of two early wickets during the 2011 World Cup final. Certainly one of the best knocks played in a World Cup final.
The elegant left-handed batsman has piled on 5238 runs with 11 ODI centuries to his name at an average of 39.68. While the numbers may pale in comparison to other batsmen, his impact as an opening batsman was huge. Despite the fact, that his ODI career has reached a saturation point, his services for Indian cricket has been immense and he will surely go down as one of the best ODI opening batsmen for India.
#3 Virender Sehwag
Dynamic and fearless are some of the words which strikes cricket fans’ mind when we hear the name Virender Sehwag. Sehwag didn’t have a flawless technique and even with minimal footwork, he produced greater results with his impressive hand and eye coordination.
In his illustrious career, the right-handed batsman notched up 8273 runs at an average of 35.05 with 15 centuries. The most noticeable aspect of his game was his strike rate of 104.33, which sets him apart from the rest.
(Video Courtesy: Sports Hunt YouTube Page)
Sehwag along with Gambhir formed a great ODI opening pair and played a key role to get India off to a great start. While Sehwag decimated the bowling attacks with his aggressive batting, Gambhir played the second fiddle. The 37-year-old also became the second Indian batsman to score a double hundred in ODIs after Sachin Tendulkar. He achieved this feat against West Indies in 2011 at Indore.
A replacement for such an explosive batsman at the top is going to be very hard to come by in the future for the Indian cricket team.
#2 Sourav Ganguly
Fondly called ‘Dada’, Sourav Ganguly was instrumental in heralding a new era in Indian cricket. He instilled confidence to the Indian side as captain and also led from the front with his batting.
A batsman who was gifted with great timing and cricketing sense, Ganguly’s main strength was his ability to penetrate the off side, even with several fielders on the off side. The former Indian captain was excellent against spin bowling, and often, Ganguly’s shots against spin would end up in the stands.
(Video Courtesy: Funny Dubsmash YouTube Channel)
In a career lasting 16 years, Ganguly’s contribution to Indian cricket has been monumental. The numbers are quite staggering as the dynamic left-handed batsman scored 11,363 ODI runs in 311 appearances with a highest score of 183.
The combination of Sachin-Ganguly at the top was deadly and was a nightmare for opposition bowlers. Ganguly was also instrumental in grooming many Indian young cricketers, who went on to become great ODI players.
#1 Sachin Tendulkar
No one had a greater impact on Indian cricket than this man. Arguably the greatest batsman of all time, an absolute legend of the game and an icon of world cricket, who rewrote all the records in cricket.
The fact that his phenomenal international career lasted for 24 years deserves a huge salutation. The greatness of Sachin is not just his batting records, it is also the way he adapted himself to the game, playing across various generation of cricketers.
(Video Courtesy: Sergei Arendes YouTube Channel)
His “Desert Storm” Knock in Sharjah against Australia in 1998 is one of the prime examples of his genius. The ‘Little Master’ had solid technique, that even good deliveries were put to the fence. Sachin set the tone beautifully as an opening batsman along with his counterpart Ganguly and scored a truckload of runs from that position.
No one has more ODI runs than Sachin Tendulkar. The right-handed batsman amassed a mammoth 18,426 runs at an average of 44.83 in 463 ODI appearances. His best score of 200* came against South Africa in 2010, where he became the first batsman to score a double-century. Apart from his run making spree, Sachin also scalped 154 wickets with best bowling figures of 5/32.
Follow IPL Auction 2025 Live Updates, News & Biddings at Sportskeeda. Get the fastest updates on Mega-Auction and cricket news
