3 Indian batters to have scored most runs as openers in ODIs

Overview

• Sachin Tendulkar scored 18426 runs in ODIs, of which 15310 came as an opener, the most for a batter in a certain batting position
• Following his 73(97) in the second ODI against Australia, Rohit Sharma has 9219 runs in ODIs as an opener
• Sourav Ganguly had 9146 runs to his name in ODIs as an opener, the third highest in ODIs for an Indian in that position

India is one of the best ODI teams in the world. While Australia has the most number of ODI World Cups to their name, India has the second most number of ODI World Cups and the most number of Champions Trophy titles to their name. The key reason behind India's success in limited-overs cricket has been their batters. While the bowlers had their roles in some major wins, the batters played bigger roles, especially in the 21st century.

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Over the years, India has produced some quality batters in ODIs. The 2-time World Cup-winning team has had some great opening batters in ODIs like Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Virender Sehwag, Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, and others. Most of them played a key role in India's title wins in ODIs, proving their importance in the team. Some of them scored a lot of runs while opening the batting for India.

3 Indian batters to have scored the most runs as openers in ODIs

Sourav Ganguly

Sourav Ganguly had 9146 runs to his name in ODIs as an opener, the third highest in ODIs for an Indian in that position. In total, the Southpaw had 11363 runs in 300 ODIs for India, at an average of 41.02 and a strike rate of 73.71 in the white-ball format. Out of them, Ganguly scored 9146 runs as an opener alone.

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In 236 instances, he opened the batting for India in ODIs and averaged 41.57. His strike rate as an opener was 73.59. Ganguly had 19 hundreds and 58 fifty-plus scores to his name. His best performances came in the Champions Trophy 2000 (Then the Knockout Trophy) and the ODI World Cups in 1999 and 2003, respectively.

Rohit Sharma

Following his 73(97) in the second ODI against Australia, Rohit Sharma has 9219 runs in ODIs as an opener. The veteran got past Ganguly in the landmark to be only behind Tendulkar in the elite list of Indian opening batters. Rohit has opened for India in 186 instances in the 50-overs format.

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The former Indian skipper has a great average of 54.55 and a strike rate of 96.08 while opening the innings. He has a whopping 30 hundreds and 46 fifty-plus scores while opening the innings. Sharma's best performances in the ODIs have been in the ODI World Cups in 2019 and 2023.

Sachin Tendulkar

Sachin Tendulkar scored 18426 runs in ODIs, of which 15310 came as an opener, the most for a batter in a certain batting position in the format. He is arguably the greatest opener in the history of ODIs. Tendulkar's performance in the ODI World Cups in 1996, 2003, and 2011 makes him a legendary batter in the format.

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Sachin opened the innings for India in 340 instances and scored a whopping 15310 runs at a good average of 48.30 and a strike rate of 88.05. He scored 45 tons and 75 fifty-plus scores in the 50-over format. Tendulkar's 15310 runs as an opener are a hallmark of his insane longevity, which is hard to match.