In the sport of cricket, a player’s statistics take huge precedence in their career. And these statistics also help gauge a player’s performance throughout their career.
Batting average is one such metric that helps in analysing a batter’s consistency in scoring runs, match after match. The higher batting average means the batter has the knack for smashing huge scores before getting out.
In the ODI format, the openers tend to have the best batting averages as they have ample resources at hand to make a big score. So, in this article, we’ll list the top 10 openers with the highest batting average in ODI (min. 30 innings).
Highest Batting Average as Opener in ODI
| Player | Innings | Runs | Average as Opener |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shai Hope (WI) | 49 | 2612 | 60.74 |
| Shubman Gill (IND) | 50 | 2509 | 59.73 |
| Rohit Sharma (IND) | 184 | 9138 | 54.71 |
| Travis Head (AUS) | 40 | 1867 | 51.86 |
| Ibrahim Zadran (AFG) | 35 | 1656 | 51.75 |
| Hashim Amla (SA) | 175 | 8083 | 49.89 |
| Sachin Tendulkar (IND) | 340 | 15310 | 48.29 |
| Imam-ul-Haq (PAK) | 72 | 3148 | 47.69 |
| Boeta Dippenaar (SA) | 43 | 1752 | 47.35 |
| Fakhar Zaman (PAK) | 84 | 3627 | 46.50 |
Key Insights
50: Only 4 opening batters have a 50+ batting average in ODIs, and India’s young sensation Shubman Gill leads the pack with a 60+ average.
100: If we take into account players with 100+ innings, then Rohit Sharma is the only opener with a 50+ average. And it’s a testament to his sheer transformation from a middle-order batter to a formidable opener in the ODI format.
40: There are over 32 batters who have a 40+ average as an opening batsman, with 6 of them being Indian openers. Apart from Gill, Sharma, and Tendulkar, Shikhar Dhawan, former captain Sourav Ganguly, and Navjot Sidhu hold the distinction.
1: Scotland’s Kyle Coetzer is the lone opener from an associate team to have a 40+ batting average in the ODI format.
15310: Sachin Tendulkar’s tally of 15310 runs is the highest by any opening batsman in the 50-over format. Moreover, the Master Blaster also smashed the most 50+ scores in ODIs, with 120 knocks to his name while opening the innings.
