No role in ODI cricket is as crucial as that of the opening batsmen. With the bulk of the powerplay overs at their disposal, the two openers can set the tone for the rest of the innings.
The role of openers has evolved considerably over the years in limited overs cricket. For long, openers would look to preserve their wicket in order to consolidate in the middle overs. That changed swiftly after Sanath Jayasuriya’s explosive heroics in the 1996 World Cup and the trend has continued ever since.
Now, most of the top opening batsmen in the game look to take full toll in the batting powerplay with an attacking approach. It is one of the major reasons why 350 plus totals have become more common in modern-day ODI cricket.
There is no dearth of quality openers in ODIs at the moment, with several teams blessed with excellent opening combinations. We rank 10 such batsmen below by dividing them into four categories.
TIER 4
Shikhar Dhawan – India
His stock might have fallen a bit in 2019, but Shikhar Dhawan remains one of the most dependable openers in the business. The left-hander is a man for the big occasion and loves to thrive in major ICC tournaments for India.
With nearly 6,000 ODI runs and 17 centuries, Dhawan has been a prolific part of India’s enviable top-three also comprising of Rohit and Kohli.
India’s 2019 World Cup campaign could have been all so different if Dhawan hadn’t exited the tournament early after a century-making effort against Australia.
With KL Rahul doing well in his injury absence, many believed that the clock was ticking on Dhawan’s international career. However, the 34-year-old bounced back with a vengeance earlier this year when he slammed two successive fifties including a 96 against Australia in January.
He isn’t going away any time soon and the veteran will be looking to make a big statement in the coming two years.
Quinton de Kock – South Africa
South Africa’s reputation might have taken a mighty beating in the last two years, but in Quinton de Kock they still possess one of the most fearsome ODI batsmen in the world.
Fifteen ODI tons and 25 half-centuries in just 121 innings is a testament to de Kock’s abilities. His 5,135 runs in the format have come at a strike-rate of nearly 95 and he can tear apart any bowling attack when he gets going.
Having pursued baseball as a youngster, the Proteas man’s swashbuckling style with the bat comes as no surprise. His qualities were confirmed ever since he smashed three centuries in a row against India in 2013. A batsman who loves to give the bowlers the charge, de Kock is the most crucial player in South Africa’s limited-overs set-up.
The southpaw seems to be relishing the recent captaincy duties bestowed on him in ODI and T20I formats. If he continues to score at his current rate, he could end up just behind Jacques Kallis in South Africa’s all-time leading ODI run-scorers.
TIER 3
Jason Roy – England
While Ben Stokes might have stolen all the headlines in England’s dramatic World Cup-winning campaign last year, Roy’s contributions were equally important, if not more.
The right-hander slammed a century and four crucial half-centuries over the course of the campaign while forging an astounding opening partnership with Bairstow. That England succumbed to defeats against Sri Lanka and Australia in the league stages was largely down to Roy’s absence due to a hamstring injury.
Roy is a devastating opponent for any bowler when in full flow, and he can take the game away in the blink of an eye. With a career ODI strike-rate of 107.27, he is arguably the most explosive opener in the game.
When Roy gets going, he can cause all kinds of carnage like his 180 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground against Australia in 2018.
Shai Hope – West Indies
While an attacking approach is a common trait in nearly every top opener, Shai Hope is different. With a career ODI strike-rate of 74.37, Hope might not induce the fear in bowler like Warner, Roy and Rohit do. However, he is a very difficult batsman to dislodge for any bowler, with an average of over 52.
A consolidator and anchor for the team, Hope plays a crucial role for a Windies side packed with some big-hitters down the order. An excellent player of spin, he is particularly effective in the subcontinent.
The right-hander averages stunning figures of 100.14, 297 and 79.33 against India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka respectively. Seven of his nine ODI tons have come against these opponents and the majority have come away from home.
Still only 26, Hope has a bright future ahead of him and it will not be a surprise to see him establish himself as one of the best ODI batsmen in the world.
TIER 2
Jonny Bairstow (England)
2019 World Cup champions England have changed the way the ODI game is played in the past four years or so, with their deep batting line-ups and all-out attacking style. A chief component of their success is down to their opening combination led by Jonny Bairstow.
In 70 ODI innings, the Yorkshireman has collected nearly 3,000 runs at an average of over 47. More importantly, though, is his strike-rate which is over 104. The right-hander loves to take the game to the bowlers from the go, and has scant regard for the reputation of the opposition.
His attacking style was exemplified in the 2018 Nottingham ODI against Australia, where his 92-ball 139 help set the platform for England to rack up a world-record total of 481-6. Bairstow has registered nine tons in the format so far and has carved his own place in an England line up brimming with several quality limited-overs batsmen.
Aaron Finch – Australia
While Warner is crucial to Australia’s ODI approach, the importance of his opening partner Aaron Finch cannot be understated.
The 33-year-old’s T20I prowess is well known, and he still holds the world record for the highest score in the shortest format (172).
He has been as effective in the ODI format for Australia, with 16 tons and 26 half-centuries to his name in 122 innings. An aggressive batsman, Finch has a penchant of playing the big innings once he gets going.
He was elevated to the Australia ODI and T20I captaincy post the ball-tampering fiasco of 2018, and has done well to restore the team’s reputation as world-beaters despite a poor start to his tenure.
In Warner and Finch, the Aussies have one of the most formidable opening pairings in world cricket.
TIER I
David Warner (Australia)
As one of the most complete all-format batsmen in the world, David Warner’s brilliance in ODIs is hardly surprising. He made his Australia debut in 2009 as somewhat of a T20 specialist, but he has since shown that he has the chops to adapt his game to every format.
Success didn’t come instantly for him in ODIs even though he showed patches of pure brilliance from time to time. Since 2015, Warner has turned into a run-scoring machine. He has, remarkably, played just 123 ODIs so far in which he has managed to register 18 tons and 21 half-centuries.
With an average of 45.80 and a strike-rate of nearly 96, Warner can always be depended upon for giving Australia a strong start. He can go all guns blazing when in the mood, and can also dig in when the going gets tough.
His prowess was there for all to see in the 2019 World Cup in England, where he scored 647 runs at an average of nearly 72 despite just returning from a one-year suspension.
Rohit Sharma (India)
Rohit Sharma was billed to be a world-beater since his Mumbai days with an effortless style of class batting. However, his qualities never really came to the fore for India in the early stages of his career which was riddled with inconsistencies and poor decision making.
It all clicked ever since he was promoted to open the innings towards the dying stages of 2012. It has been some transformation for Rohit since that inspired promotion, with the right-hander stamping his authority as one of the best limited-overs batsmen in the world.
Since 2013, he has never failed to average more than 50 in each successive year while amassing his century tally to a staggering 29. He is only getting more consistent with 19 of his ODI centuries coming in the past three years.
Comfortable against both pace and spin, Rohit has one of the most aesthetically pleasing batting styles in the business. Arguably, he is only next to Virat Kohli as the best ODI batsman in the game.
