India's top 5 ODI opening batsmen of all time

#2 Sourav Ganguly

The God of Offside

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.

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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.