The respective sides of these opening batters heavily relied on them to give the team a good start in the Test innings
1. Alastair Cook (England) – 11,845 runs
The former England captain is one of the finest opening batters of all time in Test cricket. There is a reason why he is the only batter in history to score over 10,000 runs as an opener in the longest format of the game.
2. Sunil Gavaskar (India) – 9607 runs
The legendary Indian batter is one of if not the best opening batter to ever play for India in the longest format of the game. Gavaskar dismantled fierce bowling attacks throughout his Test career.
3. Graeme Smith (South Africa) – 9030 runs
The South African opener and captain led the Proteas during arguably their most successful era in Test cricket. The opening pair of Smith and Hashim Amla was one of the best opening pairs in the Test format during that era as well.
4. David Warner (Australia) – 8747 runs
The Aussie opener who recently announced his retirement from international cricket, was a pivotal part of the Australian Test side during the last decade. His team relied on him for getting them off to a good start in the innings.
5. Matthew Hayden (Australia) – 8625 runs
The Aussie was the part of arguably the most successful Australian Test side in history. His partnerships with fellow opener Justin Langer proved to be lethal for the opposing bowling attacks.
