Former Indian cricketer-turned-commentator Aakash Chopra has set social media buzzing with his latest ODI rankings. During a blind ranking challenge by CREX, Chopra picked his top eight Indian ODI openers of all time, featuring the legends like Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag.
Chopra had to rank every player as their name appeared without knowing which cricketer would come next in the blind ranking. Even so, his rankings have already become a hot topic online.
Aakash Chopra had no doubts about the No. 1 spot, placing the legendary Sachin Tendulkar at the top of his list. The former Indian captain remains one of the all-time greatest batters in the format.
Tendulkar is the all-time leading run-scorer in ODI cricket after finishing his career with 18426 runs in 452 ODI innings with the help of 49 centuries and 96 fifties. The Mast Blaster’s highest score was an unbeaten 200 in the format. Many massive records still belong to Tendulkar.
Rohit Sharma followed at No. 2 after his incredible record as an ODI opener, but Chopra still felt Tendulkar remains the greatest Indian opener in the format. Rohit has so far amassed 10866 runs in 257 innings, with the highest score being 264. The former Indian captain has already smashed 31 centuries and 57 fifties in the format.
Sourav Ganguly, Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir to form middle order
Legendary captain and batter Sourav Ganguly was ranked third for his iconic partnership with Sachin, while Virender Sehwag took the fourth spot for changing ODI batting with his fearless approach. Gautam Gambhir was placed fifth, followed by Shikhar Dhawan at No. 6.
While Ganguly finished his ODI career with 11363 runs in 300 innings, hitting 22 centuries and 72 fifties, Sehwag has 8273 runs in 245 innings to his name in the format. He also hit 15 centuries and 38 fifties in ODIs. Gambhir, who is currently serving as the Indian head coach, has 5238 runs to his name while Dhawan finished his career with 6793 runs in ODI cricket.
Kris Srikkanth and Navjot Singh Sidhu find place in Aakash Chopra's Top-8
Interestingly, Chopra admitted that the blind ranking worked against Dhawan. He felt the former Indian left-handed batter deserved to be ranked at No. 4 or No. 5, but those positions had already been filled before Dhawan's name appeared, leaving him with no choice but to place him sixth.
The final two spots went to Kris Srikkanth and Navjot Singh Sidhu, and that’s how Chopra's top eight list has been completed. Srikkanth was part of India’s historic 1983 World Cup-winning team and later served as the chief selector. He finished his career with over 4000 ODI runs.
On the other hand, Sidhu has now become one of the most loved commentators and has also tried his hand in politics. He amassed over 4400 runs in the 50-over format for India.
Aakash Chopra's Top 8 India ODI Openers:
Sachin TendulkarRohit SharmaSourav GangulyVirender SehwagGautam GambhirShikhar DhawanKris SrikkanthNavjot Singh SidhuHence then, the article about aakash chopra picks india s greatest odi openers ranks sachin tendulkar over rohit sharma was published today ( ) and is available on cricketaddictor ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
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