Building an opening partnership is absolutely imperative in Test cricket. We have seen teams getting crumbled or bundled out for a low total if the openers don’t kick-start the innings properly. The openers need to be extra careful in their batting approach such that they don’t fall prey to the bowlers in the initial stages.
Fast bowlers can be deadly with the new ball and it is important for the openers to negotiate the tough spell and go about their work. This not only helps the team get off to a good start but also sets up a great foundation for posting a good total.
Team India were blessed with good openers in Test cricket and in this listicle, let’s take a glimpse at the three Indian opening pairs with the most runs in a Test series.
1. Sunil Gavaskar and Chetan Chauhan
Sunil Gavaskar and Chetan Chauhan come first on the list as the duo aggregated the most runs as an opening pair for the Indian cricket team in a Test series against the Aussies. The duo added a record 537 runs against Australia in 8 innings in 1979, the most by any Indian pair in a Test series. It is a record that still remains intact even today.
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2. Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir
The likes of Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir were one of the most highly-successful opening pairs in the history of Indian cricket. Notably, the right and left-hand combination worked wonders for Team India. During the 2004-05 Test series against Pakistan, the duo stitched together 477 runs in six innings, the second-most by an Indian opening pair in a Test series.
3. Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal
Indian captain Rohit Sharma and young opening batter Yashasvi Jaiswal come third on the list as the duo aggregated 466 runs together in a Test series, which is the third-most by an Indian opening pair in a Test series. Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal aggregated these many runs together against the West Indies in the 2023 Test series.
Updated as of July 24, 2023*
