Openers are the players who open the batting innings of a cricket team. They start with the fresh ball and have to face the opening attack of the opponent’s fast bowlers. The opening batsmen possess excellent spatial awareness as well as excellent technique to react to the wily fast bowlers. He still has many shots in his arsenal to provide an early lift to every batting side. He is famous for often scoring big runs in ODIs as he stays on the mound for the first few spells.
Here are the top 10 best opening batsmen in cricket history in no particular order.
Rohit Sharma – India
India’s limited overs captain Rohit Sharma is the best opener in the world. Despite being trolled for his weight and poor performances in the early part of his career, his metamorphosis in cricket has been remarkable. Ever since he opened the innings for his team in 2013, he has completely evolved as a batsman. After years of opening in white-ball cricket, he opened in the red-ball format for the first time in 2019 and has enjoyed great success in the longest format of the game at the top. He has so far played 43 Tests, 227 ODIs and 119 T20Is, scoring 3047, 9205, 3197 runs respectively.
Sachin Tendulkar – India
Master blaster Sachin Tendulkar, who has scored over 15,000 ODI runs at the opening position. He holds the record for almost every ODI batsman, including the first double century of this genre, which he scored against South Africa in 2010.
Tendulkar was a complete batsman who could play both defensively and aggressively, and he handled the heavy demands of the Indian public admirably. When it comes to batting skills then no one can beat him as he rules the top best opening batsmen in the world.
Quinton De Kock – South Africa
De Kock is one of those rare talents who occasionally comes along and makes an impact that cements his place in the record books. The left-handed wicket-keeper batsman from South Africa has managed to achieve such great feats at such a young age, which makes it easy to see why he is considered a future great.
De Kock made his international debut in the first match of South Africa’s home T20I series against New Zealand during the 2012/13 season. However, he made it into the limelight and public attention when he scored three consecutive centuries against India in the ODI series.
David Warner – Australia
David Warner is arguably one of the greatest ODI opening batsmen of all time. His excellent batting record speaks for itself. Known for his aggressive style and ability to dominate bowlers, Warner has been a lynchpin for the Australian cricket team across all formats.
He is known for his powerful hitting and attacking strokes and often faces the toughest bowlers in the opposition. He has played several match-winning innings and has been instrumental in Australia’s success in ODI cricket over the past decade.
Since debuting in 2009, Warner has scored over 22,000 runs in international cricket, including 49 centuries and 140 fifties. He holds the record for the highest individual score in a Test match innings by an Australian with 335 against Pakistan in 2019.
Hashim Amla – South Africa
If you need a calm, composed and focused player on the field, it is Hashim Amla. He has played a vital role in the modern South African team and its victories. Amla was the fastest player across all teams to score 2000, 3000, 4000 and 5000 ODI runs. He has been a formidable presence for his team in any difficult field and has scored many winning scores for them, often from the get-go.
Amla has scored 8113 runs in 181 innings which makes it all look child’s play. The numbers don’t do justice to his magnificence on the field as a leader, a batsman and a strategist.
Tillakaratne Dilshan – Sri Lanka
Tillakaratne Dilshan is another inventive and imaginative batsman who tries to hit boundaries at every opportunity and defends when it is appropriate. Sri Lankan batsman Tillakaratne Dilshan has seen his career take off after opening for the national team.
In 1999, he made his One Day International debut against Zimbabwe, scoring 163 in the process. Along with his impressive all-round performances, the aggressive opener impressed in the 2011 World Cup as well. Dilshan’s batting average as an opener rose to 40.04 with 21 centuries and 34 half-centuries. In 2008, he was given the opportunity to open with his team.
Gordon Greenidge – West Indies
Gordon Greenidge is widely regarded as one of the best opening batsmen in cricket history. The former West Indies opener was known for his controlled stroke-play and ability to navigate the innings. In his entire career, he scored a total of 12,692 runs. A destructive opening batsman, Greenidge made his debut for the West Indies in 1974 against India at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore. The thing to note here is that this was the debut match of another West Indies legend Sir Vivian Richards.
Shikhar Dhawan – India
Shikhar Dhawan, one of the top power hitters in cricket, is now the opening batsman for the Indian cricket team. Additionally, he participates in domestic cricket for the Delhi team. He also represents Delhi Capitals in IPL. He previously played for several different IPL teams including Sunrisers Hyderabad, Deccan Chargers, Mumbai Indians and Delhi Daredevils.
In 2013, Shikhar Dhawan made it to the historic ICC World ODI XI. He scored the most runs in the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup. In 2018, he was named the CEAT International Batsman of the Year. In ICC cricket competitions, he holds the title of the fastest batsman to reach 1000 runs.
Shane Watson – Australia
Shane Watson is the Australian often regarded as one of the finest all-rounders in modern cricket. They had everything that was needed for a complete package. He had devastating power, could hit the ball with ease, could play pace and spin with relative ease, and even better, could bowl medium pace. Watson made his international debut in 2002 during the tour of South Africa in the ODI series. He started his career batting in the middle order. His call came only after reaching the opening slot in the middle of the Ashes series.
Jason Roy – England
England opener Jason Roy is the best opener in the world. The right-handed batsman is mostly known for his attacking approach and has been the main driving force behind England’s success in the white-ball game. The opener played a key role in England’s 2019 World Cup-winning victory. Although he hasn’t played much Test cricket, his record in the limited overs format has been astonishing. He has played only 5 Tests so far, as well as played 98 ODIs and 53 T20Is, scoring 187, 3658, 1316 runs respectively.
Shai Hope – West Indies
Shai Hope is the best opener in West Indies cricket. When we think of Caribbean players, explosive batsmen immediately come to mind but Shai Hope is an exception. The right-handed batsman has a very calm mindset when it comes to bat and it is difficult to get rid of him.
Most of the time, Hope acts as an anchor for the batting performance of the team. In ODIs, the right-handed batsman often appears as an opener while in Tests and T20Is he bats in the middle order.
