We all know about the big names in cricket, those players who became legends of this game, such as Sachin Tendulkar and Sir Don Bradman, and there are many others to name. But, do you know about some of the deadliest pairs in the game? They may not be good enough individually, but together, they were unstoppable; their communication and coordination on the field was of different level. Test cricket is the longest format and, is literally a test; it takes not only individual efforts but team coordination to win test matches; while two or three players in great form may win you a T20 match, you need an in-form team to win test matches. Two batters who can coordinate with each other to take you to a mammoth total are more than a sigh of relief. In the history of test cricket, Gordon Greenidge and Desmond Haynes of West Indies are regarded as the best opening duo, for they have scored together more runs than any other pair. They together scored 6482 runs at an average of 46.63 in the 1980s. This article is about Indian players who showcased their brilliance in on-field communication and the ability to score big while supporting each other. We will have a look at the Top 10 Best Indian Opening Pairs in Test cricket.
1. Gautam Gambhir And Virender Sehwag
For obvious reasons, this pair was the most dangerous that India has had in Test cricket; indeed, Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag are two of India's best batters, and together they were a nightmare for any other cricket team. They together have scored 4350 runs at a stunning average of 51.79. This pair played 87 innings together over a span of eight years. They have eleven century and twenty-five half-century partnerships to their name. Their highest partnership was 233 runs.
2. Chetan Chauhan And Sunil Gavaskar
The second-best pair for India in test cricket; this pair may not be well known to the new generation but they together have scored 3010 runs at an astounding average of 53.75. This pair played 59 innings together over a span of eight years. They have ten century and ten half-century partnerships to their name. Their highest partnership was 213 runs.
3. Shikhar Dhawan And Murli Vijay
They are a relatively younger generation on the list. Third on the list, this duo made 1757 runs together on the field. They averaged 43.92 in their partnership. This pair played 41 innings together over a span of five years. They took everyone to their attention when they together scored 289 runs on their debut innings, that too against the bowling greats of Australia in 2013. They showed people the importance of left-right combination, which we are used to hearing as a tactic from the commentators. Their highest partnership was 289 runs.
4. Anshuman Gaekwad And Sunil Gavaskar
Sunil Gavaskar was just so good at communicating with his partner. He, together with Anshuman Gaekwad, scored a total of 1722 runs. They averaged 35.88 in their partnership. This pair played 49 innings together over a span of nine years. They have four century and nine half-century partnerships to their name. Their highest partnership was 176 runs not out.
5. Krishnamachari Srikkanth And Sunil Gavaskar
Sunil Gavaskar was the first to score 10,000 runs in Test cricket, and he was not an individual player who played for himself; he was great at forming partnerships, and his inclusion in the list three consecutive times testifies this fact. He, with Krishnamachari, who was an attacking opener, scored 1469 runs together. They averaged 43.21 in their partnership. This pair played 34 innings together over a span of six years. They have three century and nine half-century partnerships to their name. Their highest partnership was exactly 200 runs.
6. Wasim Jaffar And Virendra Sehwag
One of the recent opening pairs; they together have made a total of 1031 runs as openers. They averaged 36.82 in their partnership. They played 28 innings together over a span of six years. They have three century and four half-century partnerships to their name. Their highest partnership was 213 runs. They may not be a regular opening pair, but they had that connection to score big together.
7. Vinoo Mankad And Pankaj Roy
This pair takes us back to 1956 when they scored the record 413-run opening partnership. They made this record for the highest-ever opening partnership for India in Test cricket, which is intact even today. It came against New Zealand on our home soil at Chennai.
8. Rahul Dravid And Virender Sehwag
Rahul Dravid and Virender Sehwag are among the best Test cricketers India has ever produced. After fifty years, when Vinoo Mankad and Pankaj Roy posted their record opening partnership, these two batters were very close to breaking that record but, somehow, ended up scoring the second-best opening stand for India in Test cricket. Their partnership was 410 runs, just three runs behind the record!
9. Rohit Sharma And Mayank Agarwal
The younger generation will easily relate to this pair, for they have very often seen the Hitman scoring big. The highest individual score of youngster Mayank Agarwal is 243. These batters together scored the third-highest opening partnership score for India in Test cricket. They scored 317 runs against South Africa in 2019, just four years back.
10. Shubman Gill And Rohit Sharma
The current Indian opening pair of Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma seems very dangerous not only in tests but they look invincible in ODIs, too. This duo is the fastest to complete 1000 ODI runs as a pair. In tests, too, they are complementary to each other. Emerging now as the irreplaceable opening pair for India in tests, this pair has shown us that a lot more is yet to come. That’s the end of the list of the Top 10 Best India Opening Pairs In Test Cricket; it mentions some of the best opening partners and opening stands that Indian Test cricket has witnessed.
