10 Best Openers in the World: The Opening Champions

In cricket, openers are the backbone of the batting lineup. They face fast bowlers and deal with initial blows when the ball is new. In a sport that demands consistency, technical proficiency, skill, and temperament to perform well at the highest level, openers must have the ability to play for an extended duration and provide their team with a solid start. 

Having said that, getting the tag of best opener in the world is not easy; the players need to prove their mettle on the field against best fielders in the world and rise to the occasion. 

Just like best finishers in cricket, we have seen many amazing opening batsmen in cricket who’ve performed well for their team and proved themselves. However, in this article, we are going to discuss the top 10 opening batsmen in the world. 

Top 10 Best Opening Batsman in the World

The main responsibility of an opening batsman is to take advantage of field restrictions and lead their team to a strong start. So, the batsmen coming after them can capitalize on the strong start given by the opening pair. 

Here is the list of the top 10 best opening batsmen in the world. 

Sachin Tendulkar

The first place in our list is occupied by the Indian legend, Master Blaster, Sachin Tendulkar. Having scored more than 34000 international runs, Sachin has mostly played as an opener his entire career. 

He holds many records in ODI and Test cricket for batsmen, including the first-ever double-century in ODI cricket. He was the best opener in the world at the time, purely based on runs scored. 

Sachin was a complete batsman, capable of playing attacking cricket according to the situation.

And most importantly, he was able to cope with the gigantic expectations of Indian cricket fans. That is why many fans, cricket experts, and his colleagues call him the god of cricket. 

Here are the key stats of Sachin Tendulkar. 

	M	Inn	Runs	HS	Avg	SR	100	200	50
Test	200	329	15921	248	53.79	54.08	51	6	68
ODI	463	452	18426	200	44.83	86.24	49	1	96
T20I	1	1	10	10	10.0	83.33	0	0	0

Matthew Hayden

The Australian cricket legend Matthew Hayden was an attacking player. Matthew Hayden used to instill fear in bowlers’ minds with his style of play, and his towering personality was a bonus. 

The left-handed Australian batsman used to hit boundaries without breaking a sweat. At one point, he broke Brian Lara’s record of 375 runs by scoring 380 runs in test cricket. 

Scoring over 14000 plus international runs, Matthew Hayden was one of the best openers in the world. 

Here are the stats of Matthew Hayden.

	M	Inn	Runs	HS	Avg	SR	100	200	50
Test	103	184	8625	380	50.74	60.11	30	2	29
ODI	161	155	6133	181	43.81	78.96	10	0	36
T20I	9	9	308	73	51.33	143.93	0	0	4

Rohit Sharma

At the moment, Rohit Sharma is the world’s best opener in any format of the game. He had shown his worth many times by playing an inning of significant importance to take his team toward victory. 

Rohit Sharma has broken many records, especially in ODI cricket. Rohit holds the record for scoring the most double centuries in ODI cricket, check out his list of centuries in this writeup. He also holds the record for the highest individual score in ODI cricket. 

Once Rohit Sharma starts going, there is no stopping him. Being one of the most successful captains in India, Sharma showed his class in the recently concluded ODI World Cup by leading from the front and playing like a true champion and taking the bowling apart. 

Here are the key stats of Rohit Sharma. 

	M	Inn	Runs	HS	Avg	SR	100	200	50
Test	52	88	3677	212	46.54	56.27	10	1	16
ODI	262	254	10709	264	49.12	91.97	31	3	55
T20I	148	140	3853	118	30.82	139.25	4	0	29

David Warner

At number four, we have another Australian opener, David Warner who is the most popular cricketer in the world. Known for his dynamic and explosive stroke play, David Warner impressed us with his debut innings against South Africa. He made 89 runs off just 43 balls to announce himself on the world stage. 

His career has seen many ups and downs, but he has always come back strong. However, having been involved in the sandpaper scandal during 2018, it was tough for warner. Due to this scandal, he was banned from playing international cricket for a year. However, he made a strong comeback and has the statistics to show for it. 

Despite being criticized by fans and former cricketers, David Warner worked hard and proved his mettle. After the ban, he made a strong comeback into the team and his commitment to Australia is a testament to his drive and passion for cricket. Ever since he made his comeback, he has been the best opener in cricket for Australia. 

Here are the key stats for David Warner. 

	M	Inn	Runs	HS	Avg	SR	100	200	50
Test	109	199	8487	335	44.43	70.38	25	3	36
ODI	161	159	6932	179	45.01	97.26	22	0	33
T20I	99	99	2894	100	32.89	141.31	1	0	24

Quinton de Kock

Quinton de Kock, the left-handed batsman, has been a sensation for the proteas ever since making his debut for them. He has been breaking records in ODI and proving to be one of the best openers in the world. In 2013, he made three consecutive centuries against India, which put him on the map. 

The wicketkeeper-batsman has the ideal balance of aggression and consistency. And the batsman has proven over the years that he can bat deep and continue to provide a good game for his team. 

Here are the key stats for Quinton de Kock. 

	M	Inn	Runs	HS	Avg	SR	100	200	50
Test	54	91	3300	141	38.82	70.94	6	0	22
ODI	155	155	6770	178	45.74	96.65	21	0	30
T20I	80	79	2277	100	32.53	137.33	1	0	14

Adam Gilchrist

Adam Gilchrist was the man who redefined how wicketkeeper batsman should bat. He was a very exciting player to watch with his extravagant shots. The style of the world’s best opener was suited for ODIs, where he could take advantage of the fielding limitations early on and score some quick runs. 

With this approach, he quickly became a strong player who featured in almost all matches Australia played in their most invincible phase. He has a strong batting average and a high strike rate. Apart from being an aggressive batsman, he is also counted as one of the best wicket keepers in the world as well. 

Here are the key stats of Adam Gilchrist. 

	M	Inn	Runs	HS	Avg	SR	100	200	50
Test	96	137	5570	204	47.61	81.96	17	1	26
ODI	287	279	9619	172	35.89	96.95	16	0	55
T20I	13	13	272	48	22.67	141.67	0	0	0

Alastair Cook

Recently retired England legend Alastair Cook, is one of the modern greats. The left-hander made his debut in 2016 in a series against India. He was a last-minute replacement but capitalized fully on the opportunity and scored a century. 

The former and one of the best captain of England, Alastair Cook, was one of the best opening batsmen in the world. He is the leading run-scorer in test cricket for England. He has had the most test centuries for England. 

Here are the key stats of Alastair Cook. 

	M	Inn	Runs	HS	Avg	SR	100	200	50
Test	161	291	12472	294	45.35	46.95	33	5	57
ODI	92	92	3204	137	36.41	77.13	5	0	19
T20I	4	4	61	26	15.25	112.96	0	0	0

Virender Sehwag

Virender Sehwag was an explosive batsman with an awesome temperament. He always dominated his bowlers from ball one. He may not have the perfect technique but made it up with the style of stroke play. 

He was always a treat to watch with his pull shots and hook. Sehwag made more than 16000 runs in international cricket to show how talented he was. 

Here are the key stats of Virender Sehwag. 

	M	Inn	Runs	HS	Avg	SR	100	200	50
Test	104	180	8586	319	49.34	82.23	23	6	32
ODI	251	245	8273	219	35.06	104.34	15	1	38
T20I	19	18	394	68	21.89	145.39	0	0	2

Chris Gayle

The West Indian superstar, Chris Gayle, has a unique style of play, ‘see the ball, hit ball’. He was a great batsman who hit any bowler from the word go to any part of the ground. And the best part is that he doesn’t need to move an inch from his position to play those shots. 

Chris used his strength to hit long boundaries in international cricket. After being sidelined in international cricket, he continued to play in domestic T20 tournaments and entertained people with his brilliant ways of sending the ball out of the ground. That is why he is considered the most dangerous batsman in the IPL. 

Here are the key stats of Chris Gayle. 

	M	Inn	Runs	HS	Avg	SR	100	200	50
Test	103	182	7215	333	42.19	60.28	15	3	37
ODI	301	294	10480	215	37.7	87.2	25	1	54
T20I	79	75	1899	117	27.93	137.51	2	0	14

Tillakaratne Dilshan

An innovative and creative batsman, Tillakaratne Dilshan is a player who can play with the minds of bowlers. He had the ability to hit boundaries at will and only defend the balls that were unplayable. 

The Sri Lankan legend served the country with his services. While playing for the team he kept his average and strike rate remarkably high even when went through a slump in his career. 

Here are Tillakaratne Dilshan’s key stats.

	M	Inn	Runs	HS	Avg	SR	100	200	50
Test	87	145	5492	193	40.99	65.54	16	0	23
ODI	330	303	10290	161	39.27	86.23	22	0	47
T20I	80	79	1889	104	28.19	120.47	1	0	13

Concluding Remarks

So, this was our list of best openers in the world. We’ve not put a number against any player, it means, we believe these are the best of the best out there in the world of cricket. 

Now that you know who is the best opener in this world, you can read about the best finisher in world cricket.

If you have any thoughts regarding this, do comment down below to let us know.

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