India is a cricketing nation renowned for the talent it has produced over the years. Some of the finest batters of the nation have been openers, this elite list includes Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Sourav Ganguly, and Rohit Sharma. In a limited-overs game, it is the openers that lay the foundation for the rest of the line-up to reach a formidable total. Hence, it is imperative to have successful opening partnerships to win against strong opposition. In this article, we will look at some of the best opening partnerships India has had in the limited-overs format.
1. Sourav Ganguly And Sachin Tendulkar (Vs Kenya)
Sachin and Sourav formed the most formidable opening partnership for India in the limited-overs format. Their and India’s finest opening partnership came against Kenya at Paarl in 2001. Sharing a 258-run stand between them, they both scored hundreds in a game India went on to win by 286-run. Tendulkar was named man of the match in that game.
2. Sourav Ganguly And Sachin Tendulkar (Vs Sri Lanka)
In the final of the 1997-98 Singer-Akai Nidahas Trophy, Sachin and Sourav shared a 252-run stand against a bowling unit featuring Muralitharan. In this crunch game, Sachin scored 128 off 131 and Sourav made 109 off 136 where Sachin was named the player of the match. It was a game where India went on to win by 6 runs with a century from Aravinda de Silva going in vain.
3. Ajinkya Rahane And Shikhar Dhawan
This sensational partnership came up during the India-Sri Lanka ODI series in 2014 at Cuttack. Rahane and Shikhar shared a 231-run stand where Rahane scored 111 off 108 and Shikhar managed 113 off 107. They both gave India the platform for a huge total in the first innings and helped the total to 363 from 50 overs. It was a game India won comfortably by 169 runs and Rahane was adjudged man of the match.
4. Rohit Sharma And Kl Rahul
Rohit and KL Rahul are considered two of the most talented batters of the current generation. They are both breathtaking in their ways. Their finest moment as opening partners came in an ODI against West Indies at Visakhapatnam in 2019. Here, they mounted a 227-run opening partnership in a game where India won by a huge 107-run margin. Rohit was named man of the match for his stupendous knock of 159.
5. Rohit Sharma And Shubman Gill
It was a tale of two generations at Indore against New Zealand in January 2023. Rohit is closer to the end of his career whereas Gill is just getting started. In a breathtaking display of stroke play, they both entertained the spectators to the fullest. They took apart the Kiwi bowling featuring, Lockie Ferguson and Mitchell Santner. In a stand lasting 212 runs, Rohit and Gill killed off the game in what turned out to be a certain win for India.
6. Rohit Sharma And Shikhar Dhawan
Rohit and Shikhar are regarded as the best opening pair of the past decade, not only for India but throughout world cricket. They have been the architects of some of the finest wins India has had over the years. However, their highest partnership was against Pakistan in Dubai in 2018. Sharing a 210-run stand, they took apart the enviable bowling line-up and thwarted any chances the opposition might have.
7. Virender Sehwag And Gautam Gambhir
Sehwag and Gambhir were one of the most entertaining opening pairs for India. In a way they complemented each other’s style of play, Sehwag was a free-flowing stroke maker while Gambhir’s was a more cautious approach. Their finest partnership was against New Zealand at Hamilton in 2009, racking up an unbeaten 201 off just 141 balls. It was a rain-curtailed game where India was ahead by a huge 84 runs before rain stopped play and India won by the D/L method.
8. Sourav Ganguly And Sachin Tendulkar (Vs Zimbabwe)
This partnership came during the 1998-99 Coca-Cola Cup. In a game where India was chasing a modest 197 in 50 overs, Tendulkar and Ganguly did all the scorings and racked up an unbeaten 197-run stand together. Sachin scored a blistering 124 off just 92 deliveries whereas Ganguly played as the anchor. It was one of the finest partnerships in the 2nd innings of the limited overs format. Sachin Tendulkar was awarded the man of the match for his stupendous knock in this game.
9. Sourav Ganguly And Virender Sehwag
During the 1st ODI against West Indies at Rajkot in November 2002, Virender Sehwag and Sourav Ganguly took apart a fearsome bowling line-up. They shared a 196-run stand in the middle, hitting the fence at will. It was a comfortable win for India, where Sehwag and Ganguly made the tricky target of 197 look like a piece of cake, they scored at a run rate of close to 7.5 runs an over. Sehwag was awarded the man of the match for his blistering knock of 114 off 82 deliveries.
10. Sourav Ganguly And Sachin Tendulkar (Vs South Africa)
This is the only entry of this article where India suffered a defeat, not because of its own incompetence but because of the opposition it faced, in the South African team of 2001. It was one of the most formidable line-ups in world cricket and that is what makes this partnership even more special. During the ODI at Johannesburg in 2001, Sachin and Ganguly managed 193 runs between them against a bowling attack featuring Pollock, Kallis, Nel, Klusner, and Ntini. Had it not been for the sheer brilliance of Gary Kirsten and contributions from the South African middle-order, here too India would have triumphed and this gem of a partnership would not have gone in vain.
