Like dancing, in cricket - it takes two to tango. tangos after tangos, I mean partnerships after partnerships - batsman take their team to victory. without a tango/partner - no batsman can't singly win a cricket match for his team!If a cricket team's best tango pair is at the top - the opening batsmen, even better.
Following is a story of greatest opening tango pair International cricket has so far witnessed. and I assure you - their record won't in breaking in coming 5 years at least!
Cast Sachin Tendulkar - Right hand mumbai maestro. Sourav Ganguly - Left hand Bangal tiger.
Team : India Innings : 176 (136 times opening) and counting! Total runs : 6609 Average : 49.32/innings when they open together. Century stands : 26 times over 100 and 29 times over 50 runs for the first wicket.
Note : 40 other times when Sachin-Sourav have batted together, but not as opening pair - aggregates 1668 runs. So, total runs made between these openers is 8277 with an average of almost 48!
Man of the match : 56 awards to Sachin Tendulkar (the most) and 31 for Sourav Ganguly (3rd most).
Highest : 258 (vs Kenya), 252 (vs SL), 244 (vs Namibia), 197 (vs Zimbabwe), 193 (vs South Africa), 175 (vs Australia).. thrice these two have won the match without being separated!
The first : time Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly opened for India, was at Bloemfontein - 23rd January 1997.. Sachin was himself the captain, and Ganguly was chosen as his partner because he batted lefthanded! Sachin made 0 that day-night match against South Africa, but Ganguly went on to impress with 40 off 64, and rest is history!
An adjustment : was made between Sachin-Sourav opening partnership cause Sourav Ganguly didn't believed in fast singles. Tendulkar did. Ganguly was guilty of eating up the over while in-form Tendulkar waited at the non-strikers end.. Thankfully, only 9 runouts have occurred between this best opening pair of one day International cricket.
The gift : of both Sachin & sourav was their hunger for centuries. 41 for Tendulkar & 22 for Ganguly proves that an opener must know how to carry his bat through the innings & not throw his wicket for half-centuries!
Rival opening pairs : Marvan Atapattu - Sanath Jayasuriya (5462 runs from 144 inns), Gorden Greenidge & Desmond Haynes (5206 runs from 144 inns), Mathew Hayden - Adam Gilchrist (5182 runs from 108 inns).
Sehwag factor : The right hander from Delhi forced his way into Openers slot for India, specially for his ability to smash boundaries during powerplays. Sometimes Sourav will move down the order, sometimes Sachin batted at number 3. In all, Sehwag opened 78 times with Tendulkar, 65 times with Sourav. Averaged 38 and 42 respectively.
Ganguly comeback : Greg Chappell (Team India coach from 2006 to 2007 world cup) believed that a captain should prove himself as a batsman or bowler. First - he enters the playing eleven, and then he captains the side.. Sourav Ganguly, was captaining Indian side very well, but his own batting form slumped! and that was when Chappell (and chief selector Kiran More) forced the Bengal lefthander out of the team.. 2 centuries in Ranji trophy & few struggling tours - Sourav made one of the most remarkable comebacks in history of International cricket!
Expecting many more : Don't expect them to field, but expect few cheeky wickets when they bowl.. and while batting - Team India oppositions better separate this asap!
Source:. itsonlycricket.com
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