ENG vs IND: Dhawan, Rohit complete 5,000 opening partnership runs
Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma have completed 5,000 runs for the opening wicket in ODI cricket. The duo unlocked this achievement in the ongoing first ODI against England. They have become the fourth opening pair and second from India to reach this landmark. Former openers Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly top this list with 6,609 runs. Here are the key stats.
Why does this story matter?
Left-handed batter Dhawan started his international career as an out-and-out opener. However, Rohit burst on to professional cricket as a middle-order batter. Former Indian skipper MS Dhoni promoted him as an opener in 2013, a move that transformed the career of Rohit. Rohit and Dhawan have been India's mainstay openers in 50-over cricket ever since. And now, they have touched the 5,000-run mark.
Fourth-most opening partnership runs (ODIs)
As stated, Dhawan and Rohit rank fourth in terms of opening partnership runs (ODIs). The list is led by Tendulkar and Ganguly, who slammed a record 6,609 runs from 136 innings at the top. Australia's Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden scored 5,372 runs for the opening wicket in 114 ODI innings. West Indies' Gordon Greenidge and Desmond Haynes own 5,150 partnership runs (102 innings).
Highest opening partnership for Dhawan and Rohit (ODIs)
In September 2018, Dhawan and Rohit helped India win the Asia Cup match against Pakistan. The duo shared a 210-run stand for the opening wicket, their highest in ODI cricket. It also became the highest opening partnership for India against Pakistan (ODIs).
