Openers have a significant role in setting up the tempo of an inning in cricket. In One Day Internationals, if a good start is provided at the top, then a team can cash on it in the later period to post a huge total. It is often said that if an opener bats through an inning in One Day Internationals, his team would definitely be in a winning position. Openers like Sachin Tendulkar, Mathew Hayden, Adam Gilchrist, Graeme Smith, Brendon McCullum, Andrew Strauss, Sanath Jayasuriya, and Saeed Anwar had a huge impact as openers in ODI. They won numerous matches for their team with excellent knocks at the top. But who are the best 7 openers of all time in ODIs? If you are wondering and can’t wait to find out, then here is the list of 7 best openers in ODIs of all time:
7- Saeed Anwar
The left-handed opener from Pakistan was a legend who destroyed the opponent with his finesse. His 194 against India was a classic knock that is still remembered for being one of the best innings played by a cricketer in ODIs.
In his illustrious career, he scored 8,156 runs at an average of 39.98 and a strike rate touching 80. He was a clean striker of the ball and helped win Pakistan many matches throughout his stint in International cricket.
6- Chris Gayle
The Universe Boss, Chris Gayle, the legendary West Indian opener, is famous for his unparalleled deeds in T20 cricket. People often tend to overlook his contribution in ODIs due to his image of being a heavy hitter in the shortest format of the game.
Chris Gayle has represented West Indies in 237 ODIs as an opener. He has scored 8,509 runs at an average of 39.21 and a healthy strike rate of 84.86. His explosive batting at the top has helped the Caribbean team snatch momentum from the opposition on many occasions.
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5- Desmond Haynes
Another West Indian legend who ruled the cricketing world when the Caribbean side was the most feared team in International cricket. He was a professional who got the job done right at the front with his exquisite strokeplay.
He played 238 ODIs during the 1970 and 1980s and scored 8,648 runs at an excellent average of 41.37 and a strike rate of more than 63. His highest score read 153*, a knock in which he remained unbeaten.
4- Saurav Ganguly
Surprised that Saurav Ganguly makes the cut for one of the greatest openers in ODIs while Virender Sehwag does not feature in the list? Get ready to be more astounded because Ganguly was a batter opener than Sehwag, but he sacrificed his place as an opener to let Sehwag blossom at the top.
Saurav Ganguly, the current BCCI president, played 242 ODI matches as an opener for India and generated 9,146 runs at an average of 41.57 and a strike rate of 73.59. Ganguly’s top score at the top is 183, which came against the mighty Sri Lankans in 1999.
3- Adam Gilchrist
The greatest ever wicket-keeper opener to grace the cricketing world. Gilchrist was an exciting opener who took the head on and smashed the bowlers for fun during his stay at the crease. He has played quite a few blazing knocks for Australia in his legendary career.
Gilchrist represented the Australian cricket team as an opener in 260 ODIs and scored an exact 9,200 runs at an average of 36.50 and a great strike rate of 98. He became a role model for wicket-keeping batters in the cricketing world with his exploits for Australia.
2- Sanath Jayasuriya
Should we just state the obvious by saying that left-handers are better openers than right-handers in ODI cricket? Including Sanath Jayasuriya, there are five left-handed openers in the list of 7 best openers ever. Anyway, sticking to the subject Jayasuriya started as a pinch hitter for Sri Lanka. He helped his team clinch the World Cup in 1996 with his crucial knocks.
In 388 ODI games, he amassed 12,740 runs at an average of 34.61 and a strike rate of 92.48. Jayasuriya scored his career-best 189 against India to help his team win that match by a massive margin of 245 runs. Surprisingly, Sanath Jayasuriya picked up 323 wickets in his ODI career which is not a small feat by any margin.
1- Sachin Tendulkar
Everybody knows the greatest to have ever played the game, The Little Master or should we say the Master Blaster stands at the top of the list of best openers in ODIs by a long distance. Tendulkar played against the likes of Sohaib Akhtar, Waqar Younis, Wasim Akram, Glenn McGrath, Shane Warne, Muttiah Muralidharan, Chaminda Vaas, Brett Lee, Shaun Pollock and many other lethal bowlers. Even then he went on to score the most runs for an opener in ODI cricket history.
Tendulkar gave nightmares to his opponent with consistent spectacular performances. One can understand the charisma, impact and aura of Sachin Tendulkar by knowing the fact that Indians turned their televisions off when Sachin got dismissed. A legend of his calibre will never be produced in International cricket. Sachin played 344 ODIs as an opener and scored 15,310 runs at an average of 48.29. Out of his 49 hundred in ODIs, 45 were scored while opening the innings for India. He was also a handy bowler on whom Ganguly relied on in crunch situations. He picked up 154 wickets in his unrivalled ODI career.
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