Most centuries as opener in international cricket
Opening is one of the most crucial batting positions in the game of cricket. Especially in Test matches, opening can be quite a challenge as the red ball generally swings more than the white ball and batters don’t know what to expect from the pitch. In this article, we take a look at most centuries scored by openers across formats in international cricket.
5) 40 – Matthew Hayden, Rohit Sharma
Matthew Hayden formed iconic opening partnerships alongside Adam Gilchrist in ODIs and Justin Langer in Tests. In 340 innings as an opener in international cricket, Hayden scored 40 centuries, of which 30 came in the 184 Tests he played. The remaining 10 tons came from the 161 ODI innings he featured in. Rohit Sharma started as a middle-order batter in all three formats before moving up to open. He has notched up 40 tons from just 331 innings. In 45 innings in Test cricket as an opener, Rohit scored seven centuries. Meanwhile, 29 ODI centuries have come from the 173 innings he has played as an opener. In T20Is, the right-handed batter has scored four centuries in 113 innings at the top of the order.
4) 41 – Sanath Jayasuriya
The Sri Lankan legend scored 41 centuries in 563 innings as an opener. Jayasuriya scored 13 centuries from 152 innings as a Test opener. In ODIs, he amassed 28 centuries in 383 innings. The southpaw played 31 T20Is but couldn’t get to the magical three-figure mark.
3) 42 – Chris Gayle
The West Indies legend was one of the most dangerous openers irrespective of the format he played. Gayle scored a total of 42 international hundreds as an opener. He registered 15 centuries in 103 Tests and 25 centuries in 301 ODIs. In the T20I format, Gayle played 79 matches and scored two tons.
2) 45 – Sachin Tendulkar
One of the greatest cricketers of all time, Sachin Tendulkar scored an incredible 45 centuries as an opener. He played in different positions in the international cricket. In Test cricket, the Mumbai batter spent most of his time at No. 4. He opened only once. However, in ODIs, he played most of his cricket as an opener. He played 340 innings as an opener in ODIs and scored 45 centuries.
1) 49 – David Warner
The Australian legend recently retired from Test cricket. He has also said that he won’t play ODI cricket anymore but can make a comeback if he is needed for the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy. Warner has scored a whopping 49 centuries as an opener in 451 innings. In 202 Test innings as an opener, Warner scored 26 centuries. He scored 22 tons in 157 ODI innings at the top. As far as T20Is are concerned, the diminutive batter has one century from 92 innings as an opener.
