“Well begun is half done,” they say, and it suits perfectly in cricket.
The opening batsmen set the platform for the team’s batting unit, and their innings reveal the playing conditions for the batters to follow.
The role of an opening batsman has changed with time, and in different formats, they are asked to play various roles. Opening the innings is not an easy skill to crack, but once cracked, it will fetch the batsman better conditions and rewards.
Opening the batting in Test cricket is the hardest of all the challenges as they have to see off the new red cherry and the fresh pitch, which the opposition bowler would love to exploit. On the other hand, the opening pairs in white-ball cricket have the better opportunity in terms of field setup and have the full quote of overs to score runs in bulk.
If you see the list of ODI double centurions and T20I centurions, you will understand how opening batters dominate the batting charts overall.
However, this article will see to the fullest of the potential – the list of opening batters who have scored the most century-scores in all three formats together.
Most Centuries by Opening Batsmen across Formats
| BATTER | CENTURIES AS OPENER ACROSS FORMATS | ODIS 100S AS OPENER | TEST 100S AS OPENER | T20I 100S AS OPENER |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| David Warner (AUS) | 49 | 22 | 26 | 1 |
| Sachin Tendulkar (IND) | 45 | 45 | 0 | 0 |
| Rohit Sharma (IND) | 44 | 30 | 9 | 5 |
| Chris Gayle (WI) | 42 | 25 | 15 | 2 |
| Sanath Jayasuriya (SL) | 41 | 28 | 13 | 0 |
| Matthew Hayden (AUS) | 40 | 10 | 30 | 0 |
| Graeme Smith (SA) | 37 | 10 | 27 | 0 |
| Alastair Cook (ENG) | 36 | 5 | 31 | 0 |
| Virender Sehwag (IND) | 36 | 14 | 22 | 0 |
| Desmond Haynes (WI) | 35 | 17 | 18 | 0 |
Key Stats
Sachin Tendulkar, for his sheer batting numbers, has the faculty to top any batting chart. He has been leading this chart easily despite never opening an innings in Tests and playing only one T20I game.
Chris Gayle, the first batter to score centuries in all three formats, has been a brilliant three-format player for the Caribbean nation.
Australia’s David Warner and the Indian captain, Rohit Sharma, are the two players to be placed in this table among the current-day openers.
Shubman Gill, the other Indian opening batter, has had a dream start to his career and is a real candidate for this chart in the years to come. The other notable modern-day opening star is Quinton de Kock, who is closing on the distance between his century numbers and the above chart.
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