Strong beginning: Five most successful opening partnerships against India in ODIs
The opening partnership is the most partnership of the innings in all three formats of cricket. The stand sets the tone for the innings and often serves as the knockout punch for the opposition. A failure at the top can have a cascading effect on the rest of the crew. In the ongoing Australia-India ODI series, Australian captain Aaron Finch and David Warner staged two consecutive century opening stands to push India on the backfoot. Here are the five most successful opening partnership against India in ODIs.
5. Saeed Anwar and Shahid Afridi – 882 runs
India and Pakistan, the fiercest rivals in the cricket field, battled very frequently in two previous decades. The opening partnership of left-hander Anwar and right-hander Shahid Afridi posed many problems for the Indian bowling attack. The ice and fire duo added 882 in 27 times that they walked out together for the first wicket. Although they never stitched a century opening stand, they took the team past 50 seven times.
4. Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden – 1035 runs
Most consecutive century stands against India in ODIs:
3 Hayden/Gilchrist
3 STEVE SMITH/AARON FINCH* #INDvAUS— Umang Pabari (@UPStatsman) September 24, 2017
One of the most destructive opening pair the limited-overs cricket has seen, Hayden and Gilchrist often created mayhem at the crease. The left-handers amassed 1035 runs against India in 23 innings at the top which includes 4 hundred-plus and 5 fifty-plus opening stands. Their 105-run partnership in the 2003 World Cup final proved to be exceptionally damaging for the Indian side.
3. David Boon and Geoff Marsh – 1244 runs
Another pair of Australian openers makes its way in the list. In the years from 1986 to 1992, where Australia were busy in developing themselves as the future ruling dynasty of cricket, Boon and Marsh added 1244 runs against India at the top. This includes 4 century and 7 half-century partnerships. Their best effort was in 1986 at Jaipur where their opening stand of 212 runs saw the visiting team post 250/3 in their first innings. India, however, overhauled the target and registered a victory.
2. Aaron Finch and David Warner – 1290 runs
Most 100-run partnerships against India in ODIs:
? Gordon Greenidge & Desmond Haynes ➜ 6
?? Aaron Finch & David Warner ➜ 5* ?
?? Mahela Jayawardene & Kumar Sangakkara ➜ 5What a pair!#AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/hjxxr2joj4
— ICC (@ICC) November 29, 2020
The latest nemesis of the Indian team is this Australian pair which consists of their captain Aaron Finch and one of their all-time great openers David Warner. The duo has been phenomenal against the Men in Blue. Averaging 99.23 per innings, Finch-Warner have added 1290 runs against India in 14 outings. Their highest opening stand is unbeaten 258 while they have four more century partnerships to their account. They have also fifty-plus stands four times.
1. Gordon Greenidge and Desmond Haynes – 1407 runs
Widely considered as the finest opening partnership in world cricket, Haynes and Greenidge dominate this list too. The West Indian duo added 1407 runs together against India for the first wicket. Averaging 70.35, their opening partnership went beyond fifty 4 times and a hundred 6 times. Incidentally, their first opening partnership against India (138 at Birmingham in 1979) and their last opening stand against India (185 at Georgetown in 1989) were both century stands.
