Opening the batting in Test cricket against the hard new red ball is one of the toughest challenges in the game. That’s why you won’t find many openers among the top run-scorers. Sir Alastair Cook is the only opener in the top five run-scorers in Test cricket, with Sunil Gavaskar following at 14th.
India has produced some of the greatest Test batsmen ever, including Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, VVS Laxman, Mohammad Azharuddin, and Virender Sehwag.
However, most of these legends played in the middle order. Despite having strong batting lineups, the opener’s position was often a weak spot for India. In the late 70s and 80s, Sunil Gavaskar was the standout opener, often carrying the team on his shoulders. His longest-serving opening partner was Chetan Chauhan, with whom he played 59 innings. Chauhan provided decent support for a while. Then came Navjot Singh Sidhu, but after him, the focus shifted back to the strong middle order with players like Tendulkar and Azharuddin.
After 2000, Virender Sehwag emerged and transformed Indian cricket. He showed that scoring runs at the top wasn’t so hard. Following him, openers like Gautam Gambhir, Murali Vijay, and Rohit Sharma made their mark. Now, the question is: who among them scored the most runs as an opener?
This article lists the top ten Test batsmen with the most runs as openers.
10. Chetan Chauhan- 2069 Runs
Chetan Chauhan, a right-handed batsman and Sunil Gavaskar’s long-time partner, scored 2069 runs in 67 Test innings with an average of 31.83. He made 16 half-centuries in his Test career, with his highest score being 97 runs in a match against Australia in January 1981. Chauhan played Test cricket for India from 1969 to 1981 and is ranked 10th on this list, known for his tough and determined style.
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9. Rohit Sharma- 2176 runs
Rohit Sharma started as an opener in 2019 during a Test series at home against South Africa. Since then, he has had an amazing journey in Test cricket. He went from struggling to get into the starting team to becoming a key player and now leads the Test team. Rohit’s success shows he can perform well in any condition and against any type of bowling. As an opener, he has batted 46 times and scored 2176 runs.
8. Pankaj Roy- 2220 runs
Pankaj Roy scored 2220 runs for India in Test cricket as an opener. He played for India from 1951 to 1960. In 74 innings, he averaged 31.71 runs per inning.
He hit 4 centuries and 9 fifties in Tests, with his highest score being 173 against New Zealand in January 1956. He ranks eighth on the list of highest scores by Indian cricketers.
7. Shikhar Dhawan- 2315 runs
Shikhar Dhawan, the Indian opener, is included in this list. He made a memorable start to his Test career by scoring a hundred against Australia in his debut match as an opening batsman. Throughout his Test career, Dhawan has always played as an opener.
In his 58 innings, the 35-year-old has scored 2315 runs at an average of 40.61. He has scored 7 centuries and 5 half-centuries in Test matches. His highest score of 190 runs came against Sri Lanka in July 2017. Dhawan last played a Test match in September 2018.
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6. KL Rahul- 2551 runs
KL Rahul is ranked sixth in this list. He has scored 2551 runs in Test matches so far as an opening batsman from Karnataka. However, with new top-order batsmen like Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill emerging, it seems his career as a Test opener is over. He is now expected to play in the middle-order.
Rahul started his career as an opener in January 2015 and scored a century against Australia in Sydney. He has also scored many memorable hundreds while opening, including his highest score of 199 runs against England in December 2016.
5. Navjot Singh Sidhu- 2911 runs
Navjot Singh Sidhu achieved the fifth position in this list. He scored 2911 runs while opening for India in Test matches from 1983 to 1999. As an opener, he had an average of 42.81 across 69 innings.
Sidhu scored 8 centuries and 15 half-centuries while opening. His highest score in Tests was 201 runs, which he achieved against West Indies in March 1997. After retiring from cricket, he became well-known as a commentator.
4. Murali Vijay- 3880 runs
Murali Vijay was seen as one of India’s most reliable opening batsmen, especially in matches played abroad. He batted in 105 innings during his Test career, with all but five of them as an opener. As an opener, he scored a total of 3880 runs in 100 innings, earning him the 4th spot in this category.
Vijay maintained a batting average of 39.19 as an opener and scored 12 centuries and 15 half-centuries in Test matches, all while opening the innings for India. His highest score of 167 runs came in a match against Australia in 2013. Vijay played his last Test match in 2018.
3. Gautam Gambhir- 4119 runs
Gautam Gambhir was one of India’s most successful opening batsmen during his time. In 2009, he became the number one Test cricketer, a rare achievement for an Indian player. Throughout his career, Gambhir opened the batting in 101 Test innings out of 104. He scored a total of 4119 runs in those innings, averaging 42.91. As an opener, he hit 9 centuries and 22 half-centuries in Test matches. His highest score was 206 runs, achieved against Australia in October 2008.
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2. Virender Sehwag- 8207 runs
As mentioned earlier, Sehwag changed the way Test cricket was played. He had a strike rate of 82.2, showing he played Test matches more aggressively, like he would play limited-overs cricket. Bowlers, especially spinners, were afraid of him. Sehwag played 104 Tests for India from 2001 to 2013. He mostly opened the batting and scored 8207 runs at an average of 50.04.
He scored 22 centuries and 30 half-centuries in Tests. His highest score was 319 runs in a Test against South Africa in March 2008. He is second on the list of highest individual scores in Tests.
1. Sunil Gavaskar- 9607 runs
Known fondly as the “Little Master,” Gavaskar showed great skills and bravery against the tough West Indian bowlers in the 1970s and ’80s, making a lasting impact on cricket. His international career spanned 16 years and he made remarkable contributions to Indian cricket.
Gavaskar was known for his impressive batting statistics. In Test cricket, he played 125 matches and scored 10,122 runs with 34 centuries and 45 half-centuries. He was particularly good at turning good starts into big scores. From his debut in 1971 until his retirement in 1987, he opened for India in 199 Tests. As an opener, he scored 9607 runs in 203 innings at an average of 50.29.
As an opener in Tests, he achieved 33 centuries and 42 half-centuries. His highest Test score was an unbeaten 236, and as an opener, his highest score was 221 runs.
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