Opening partnerships are very important in ODI cricket. A strong start helps set the mood for the innings and gives the team a chance to score big. Over time, India has seen many great opening pairs who have often built big partnerships.
Here are the top five biggest opening partnerships for India in ODI cricket:
5. Sourav Ganguly And Sachin Tendulkar – 252 vs Sri Lanka, Dambulla, 1998
Sourav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar had a great opening partnership of 252 runs in the first ODI against Sri Lanka in Dambulla in 1998. This is India’s joint-highest opening partnership in ODIs.
They started slowly but soon began scoring freely. Both reached their centuries by the 32nd over. Ganguly got out for 109 in the 44th over, and Tendulkar was dismissed for 128 in the 43rd over. By then, India had scored a big total of 307/6. India won the match by 6 runs.
4. Sourav Ganguly And Sachin Tendulkar – 258 vs Kenya, Nairobi, 2001
Sourav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar set a record with a 258-run opening partnership in the second ODI against Kenya in Nairobi in 2001. This is India’s highest opening partnership in ODIs. They started aggressively and dominated the Kenyan bowlers.
Both scored centuries by the 25th over and kept adding runs. Ganguly was out for 111 in the 41st over, and Tendulkar was dismissed for 146 in the 43rd over. By then, India had already scored a massive 351/3. India won the match by 186 runs.
3. Shikhar Dhawan And Ajinkya Rahane – 231 vs Sri Lanka, Colombo, 2014
In the third ODI against Sri Lanka in Colombo in 2014, Shikhar Dhawan and Ajinkya Rahane formed an opening partnership of 231 runs. This is the third-highest opening partnership for India in ODIs. They started slowly but later began to score more freely.
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Both players reached their centuries in the 43rd over and kept playing aggressively. Rahane was out for 111 in the 37th over, and Dhawan was dismissed for 113 in the 34th over. By then, India had set a huge total of 363/5. India won the match by 169 runs.
2. KL Rahul And Rohit Sharma – 227 vs West Indies, Visakhapatnam, 2019
KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma made an opening partnership of 227 runs in the first ODI against the West Indies in Visakhapatnam in 2019. This is the fourth-highest opening partnership for India in ODIs.
Rahul and Sharma played carefully at first, then began scoring quickly. Both reached centuries by the 40th over and kept playing aggressively. Rahul was out for 102 in the 36th over, and Sharma was dismissed for 159 in the 43rd over. By then, India had scored 387/5 and went on to win the match by 107 runs.
1. Rohit Sharma And Shubman Gill – 212 vs New Zealand, Indore, 2023
Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill scored 212 runs for the opening partnership in the third ODI against New Zealand in Indore in 2023. This is the fifth-highest opening partnership for India in ODIs.
Sharma and Gill played aggressively from the start, attacking the New Zealand bowlers. Both reached their centuries by the 26th over and kept scoring runs until Sharma was out for 101 in the 26th over. Gill was out for 112 in the 28th over, but by then, India had already made a huge total of 385/9. India went on to win.
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