Opening partnerships play a crucial role in ODI cricket. A good start can set the tone for the rest of the innings and give the team a platform to post a big score. Over the years, India has had some prolific opening partnerships, with several pairs putting up big stands on a regular basis.
Here is a look at the top five biggest opening partnerships for India in ODIs:
1. Sourav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar – 258 vs Kenya, Nairobi, 2001
Sourav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar put on a record-breaking opening partnership of 258 runs in the second ODI against Kenya in Nairobi in 2001. This is the highest opening partnership for India in ODIs. Ganguly and Tendulkar batted aggressively from the start and took the Kenyan bowlers to the cleaners.
They both reached centuries in the 25th over and continued to pile on the runs before Ganguly was dismissed for 111 in the 41st over. Tendulkar was eventually dismissed for 146 in the 43rd over, but by then India had already posted a mammoth total of 351/3. India went on to win the match by 186 runs.
2. Sourav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar – 252 vs Sri Lanka, Dambulla, 1998
Sourav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar put on another brilliant opening partnership of 252 runs in the first ODI against Sri Lanka in Dambulla in 1998. This is the joint-highest opening partnership for India in ODIs. Ganguly and Tendulkar started cautiously, but they soon opened up and started scoring freely.
They both reached centuries in the 32nd over and continued to bat aggressively before Ganguly was dismissed for 109 in the 44th over. Tendulkar was eventually dismissed for 128 in the 43rd over, but by then India had already posted a huge total of 307/6. India went on to win the match by 6 runs.
3. Shikhar Dhawan and Ajinkya Rahane – 231 vs Sri Lanka, Colombo, 2014
Shikhar Dhawan and Ajinkya Rahane put on an opening partnership of 231 runs in the third ODI against Sri Lanka in Colombo in 2014. This is the third-highest opening partnership for India in ODIs. Dhawan and Rahane batted patiently in the early stages and then opened up and started scoring freely.
They both reached centuries in the 43rd over and continued to bat aggressively before Rahane was dismissed for 111 in the 37th over. Dhawan was eventually dismissed for 113 in the 34th over, but by then India had already posted a massive total of 363/5. India went on to win the match by 169 runs.
4. KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma – 227 vs West Indies, Visakhapatnam, 2019
KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma put on 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 batted patiently in the early stages and then opened up and started scoring freely. They both reached centuries in the 40th over and continued to bat aggressively before Rahul was dismissed for 102 in the 36th over. Sharma was eventually dismissed for 159 in the 43rd over, but by then India had already posted a huge total of 387/5. India went on to win the match by 107 runs.
5. Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill – 212 vs New Zealand, Indore, 2023
Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill put on an opening partnership of 212 runs 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 batted aggressively from the start and took the New Zealand bowlers to the cleaners. They both reached centuries in the 26th over and continued to pile on the runs before Sharma was dismissed for 101 in the 26th over. Gill was eventually dismissed for 112 in the 28th over, but by then India had already posted a mammoth total of 385/9. India went on.
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