The opening is one of the trickiest jobs in cricket. However, in T20 cricket, opening the innings comes with the responsibility of taking advantage of power play and then continuing the momentum. Openers like Rohit Sharma and Chris Gayle are some names that are legends in this game. So, in this article, we will discuss 'Top 10 Knock Played by Opener in T20I'.
1. Aaron Finch
Recently retired Aaron Finch was one of the best openers from Australia. Against Zimbabwe, Australia batted first on a road pitch and piled up 229 runs. The standout performance came from Finch, who smacked 172 runs off 76 balls. He established a 223-run opening stand between himself and D’Arcy Short. Notably, Finch hammered ten sixes and 16 boundaries in his knock.
2. Rohit Sharma
Rohit Sharma is one of the best players from India. Against Sri Lanka, India batted first on a road pitch and piled up 260 runs. Rohit smacked 118 runs off just 43 balls. He established a 165-run opening stand between himself and KL Rahul. Rohit scored runs quickly with 12 boundaries and ten impressive maximums. Notably, Rohit created the record of the fastest century in T20 International in this game in just 35 balls.
3. Shane Watson
The former Australian opening batsman Shane Watson scored a fantastic 124 in 71 balls against India in a T20 International. Batting first, Australia was losing wicket from one end, while Watson held the other end. Watson hammered ten boundaries and six maximum in his knock to take Australia to a competitive total of 197 runs. This wasn't enough runs as India won the game by seven wickets.
4. Chris Gayle
The former West Indian opening batsman Chris Gayle scored a fantastic 117 in 57 balls against South Africa in the 2007 World T20. Batting first, Gayle put along a 145-run opening partnership with Smith. Gayle hammered seven boundaries and ten maximum in his knock, to take West Indies to a competitive total of 205 runs. This wasn't enough runs as South Africa won the game by eight wickets.
5. Brendon McCullum
The former New Zealand opening batsman Brendon McCullum scored a fantastic 116 in 56 balls against Australia in a T20 International. Batting first, New Zealand was losing wicket from one end, while McCullum held the other end. With a score reaching 77-4, he put along a 68-run partnership with Hopkins. McCullum hammered 12 boundaries and eight maximum in his knock to take New Zealand to a competitive total of 214 runs. This was a good score as they won the game in super over.
6. Alex Hales
The former English opening batsman Alex Hales scored a fantastic 116 in 64 balls against Sri Lanka in the 2014 World T20. Batting first, Sri Lanka piled up 189 runs on a tricky pitch. With a score reaching 0-2, Hales put along a 152-run partnership with Morgan. Hales, in his knock, hammered 11 boundaries and six maximum to take England over the line.
7. Rohit Sharma
The Indian opening batsman Rohit Sharma scored a fantastic 100 in 56 balls against England in a T20 International. Batting first, England piled up 198 runs on a road of a pitch. With a score reaching 62-2, Rohit put along an 89-run partnership with Kohli. Rohit hammered 11 boundaries and five maximum in his knock to take India over the line.
8. Colin Munro
The New Zealand opening batsman Colin Munro scored a fantastic 109 in 58 balls against India in a T20 International. Batting first, Munro put along a 105-run opening partnership with Guptill. Munro hammered seven boundaries and seven maximum in his knock to take New Zealand to a competitive total of 196 runs. This proved enough as New Zealand managed to win the game by 40 runs.
9. Jos Buttler
The English opening batsman Jos Buttler scored a fantastic 101 in 67 balls against Sri Lanka in the 2021 World T20. Batting first, England was losing wicket from one end, while Buttler held the other end. With a score reaching 35-3, he put along a 112-run partnership with Morgan. Buttler hammered six boundaries and six maximum in his knock to take England to a competitive total of 163 runs. This proved enough as England managed to win the game by 26 runs.
10. Quinton de Kock
The South African opening batsman Quinton De Kock scored a fantastic 100 in 44 balls against West Indies in a T20 International. Batting first, West Indies piled up 258 runs on a road of a pitch. De Kock put along a 152-run opening partnership with Hendricks. De Kock hammered nine boundaries and eight maximum in his knock to take South Africa over the line.
