The successful teams in ODI cricket historically have had strong opening pairs. The batters who are opening the batting hold the mantle to lay a strong foundation for their respective teams, be it any important and more so in ODI cricket.
With 50 overs to be batted in this longest white-ball format, a good start is paramount for a team to post a big score and that is why a team needs a prolific opening pair.
A team would benefit from having a long-term opening pair who give them dominant starts consistently and not just limited to only a handful of innings.
Here is the list of opening pairs who have held their own over a long period and dominated this format.
Highest Average as Opening Pairs in ODIs
| Pair | Team | Inns | Avg | Runs | 100s | Highest Stand |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill | India | 47 | 64.71 | 2977 | 9 | 255 |
| Ajay Jadeja, Sachin Tendulkar | India | 22 | 59.77 | 1315 | 5 | 176 |
| Jonny Bairstow, Jason Roy | England | 50 | 58.44 | 2922 | 14 | 174 |
| Adam Gilchrist, Simon Katich | Australia | 26 | 55.46 | 1442 | 3 | 196 |
| Gordon Greenidge, Desmond Haynes | West Indies | 102 | 52.55 | 5150 | 15 | 192* |
| Brendon McCullum, JD Ryder | New Zealand | 22 | 50.9 | 1069 | 5 | 166 |
| Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag | India | 38 | 50.54 | 1870 | 5 | 201* |
| Sourav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar | India | 136 | 49.32 | 6609 | 21 | 258 |
| Tillakaratne Dilshan, Mahela Jayawardene | Sri Lanka | 24 | 48.95 | 1126 | 2 | 179 |
| Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Chris Gayle | West Indies | 43 | 48.67 | 1947 | 5 | 193 |
| AB de Villiers, Graeme Smith | South Africa | 25 | 48.66 | 1168 | 5 | 173 |
| Adam Gilchrist, Matthew Hayden | Australia | 114 | 48.39 | 5372 | 16 | 172 |
| Aaron Finch, David Warner | Australia | 80 | 47.94 | 3788 | 12 | 258* |
| Hashim Amla, Quinton de Kock | South Africa | 93 | 46.64 | 4198 | 11 | 282* |
| Herschelle Gibbs, Gary Kirsten | South Africa | 66 | 46.52 | 2838 | 9 | 235 |
Key Insights on Highest Averages as Opening Pairs in ODI Cricket
Best Opening Pairs in ODIs
India’s Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma have the highest average as an opening pair in ODIs. The duo averages above 60.
The legendary Indian duo of Sourav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar have amassed the most runs as an opening pair in ODIs. They scored 6609 runs at an average of 49.32 in 136 innings.
The Ganguly-Tendulkar duo stitched 21 century stands, the most for any opening pair in ODIs.
Home and Away Opening Partnership Average Records in ODIs
Hashim Amla and Quinton de Kock have the highest average as an opening pair at home in ODIs. The duo aggregated 1645 runs at an incredible average of 65.8 in 26 innings in South Africa.
Jonny Bairstow-Jason Roy (in England) and Rohit Sharma-Shubman Gill (in India) are the other two opening pairs to average above 60 at home in ODIs.
Pakistan’s Fakhar Zaman and Imam-ul-Haq average the highest in overseas ODIs. The pair added 1216 runs at an average of 55.27 in 23 innings.
Sri Lanka’s Tillakaratne Dilshan-Upul Tharanga (52.5), Australia’s Aaron Finch-David Warner (50.1) and South Africa’s Herschelle Gibbs-Gary Kirsten (50.0) are the other opening pairs to average 50 or more in away ODIs.
Gibbs and Kirsten have recorded the most unbeaten opening partnerships in ODIs, with five stands between them.
Venue, Opponent & Year-Specific ODI Opening Pair Stats
Sri Lanka’s Sanath Jayasuriya and Avishka Gunawardene share the highest average as an opening pair at a single venue in ODIs (minimum 10 innings). They averaged 58.92 while scoring 825 runs across 15 innings at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.
Aaron Finch and David Warner have registered the highest average as an opener duo against an ODI team (minimum 10 innings). The Australian pair aggregated 1290 runs at an amazing average of 99.23 against India in 14 innings.
Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul have the highest average as an opening pair in a calendar year. The Indian duo scored 923 runs at an average of 92.3 in 10 innings in 2019.
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