Best opener in the world: Data-led ranking of ODI, Test, T20

Cricket starts with a negotiation. Two batters walk into a world of moving air, fresh lacquer, and a new ball that can talk. That’s why the question “Who is the best opener in the world?” is the same as asking who can survive that conversation and then control it. The answer isn’t a line in a scorebook. It’s technique scar tissue, powerplay math, footwork patterns, partnership chemistry, and a very specific kind of courage.

I’ve sat behind sightscreens with analysts, talked grips with batting coaches, watched long sessions where Test openers worked only on leaving the ball, and short ones where T20 openers rehearsed the first twelve deliveries of an innings like a script. From that pocket notepad of details and with the most important stats in mind, here is a definitive, format-by-format view of the best opening batsman in the world right now, and the greatest of all time. No hype, no guesswork—just cricket.

Quick answer: the no 1 openers in the world right now

Power ranking snapshot (current, form-weighted)

Format	No 1	Other elite contenders
ODI	Travis Head	Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Quinton de Kock, Fakhar Zaman, Devon Conway
Test	Usman Khawaja	Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dimuth Karunaratne, Rohit Sharma, Ben Duckett, Abdullah Shafique
T20I	Phil Salt	Travis Head, Jos Buttler, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma, Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan

How I rank the best opening batter in the world

Pure numbers don’t tell you enough. Averages haven’t faced Shaheen Afridi in a pink sky. Strike rates haven’t ridden a wobble-seam spell in Christchurch. To balance feel with fact, I use a weighted approach that tilts towards recency while respecting all-time quality.

Core pillars and weights (format-specific)

• Run production (average adjusted for opposition and venue)
• Strike rate and tempo (with special weight on powerplay for white-ball)
• Control and false-shot rate (Test-heavy)
• Start-to-conversion (50-to-100 and 30-to-70 scales)
• Conditions split (SENA vs subcontinent, home vs away)
• Ball type and phase (new ball, second new ball in Tests; powerplay vs middle in white-ball)
• Clutch index (knockouts, fourth-innings chases, series deciders)
• Quality of opposition (top-tier attacks vs second-string)
• Partnership value (opening stands, % of team runs)

Primary data sources: ICC rankings context, ESPNcricinfo Statsguru filters, ball-by-ball phase splits. For recency, I use a rolling last-twelve-months filter, blended with a two-year curve to capture sustained class without overreacting to a hot fortnight.

Best ODI opener in the world: the top 10 and why

The modern one-day opener is two batters in one—an aggressor for the first powerplay and a tempo-setter from overs eleven to forty. The best manage both identities without blinking.

1. Travis Head, Australia

   There’s nothing quite like his start-up sequence: back-and-across trigger, bat face open to point, and then that sudden crash through cover or the pick-up over midwicket. He doesn’t just score during the first ten; he breaks bowling plans. Against new-ball swing, he hits on the up—a calculated gamble that knocks the shine off the ball and the belief out of the attack. Head ranks no 1 because his intent survives big moments. High-stakes game? Same first-over swing. He forces oppositions to field a deep midwicket in the third over of an ODI, which is a tactical victory before the score has even settled.

2. Rohit Sharma, India

   The best opening batsman in the world by sheer completeness. Soft hands. Late swing management. And that breathtaking surge once he’s judged the length. Few can loft inside-out over extra-cover in the powerplay with that much control. Rohit flips fields for fun: third over—two in the ring on off, mid-on up—then a lazy swing turns into six and suddenly the captain starts hiding his mid-off. His long-innings gears remain unmatched; he can go at a runner-ball without risk and still reach a total that bends games. He’s the modern gold standard for ODI opening craft.

3. Shubman Gill, India

   Gill opens like a classical violinist who can also play lead guitar. High hands, a still head, and a stride that eats length. He’s the antithesis of panic—especially on sluggish surfaces where he nudges the ball into gaps at will. He’s climbed into elite status by turning starts into platforms and keeping dot-ball pressure minimal. When he needs the big shot, the pick-up over midwicket and the skip-down lines are there.

4. Quinton de Kock, South Africa

   That blade speed at point of contact is the difference. De Kock’s ODI days have seen waves—explosive purple patches and quieter tours—but his ceiling remains frightening. He sweeps seamers with horizontal batswing and can murder short balls on truer pitches. When his rhythm clicks, wickets in hand become almost irrelevant because he shifts the scoring curve so early that the entire batting unit sits ahead of par.

5. Fakhar Zaman, Pakistan

   Fakhar is chaos in a jersey, and bowlers know it. He plays with a kind of oceanic momentum; he may miss, he may edge, and then he’ll belt three straight through midwicket and you’ll feel the stadium tilt. Once he’s past the initial play-and-miss phase, he goes long. He’s one of the finest chase openers in ODI cricket, especially when required rate is steep.

6. Devon Conway, New Zealand

   Technically disciplined, temperamentally light. Conway’s ODI success comes from frictionless rotations and clean finishing. He waits for width, attacks with a vertical bat, and preserves his stumps. He’s also an excellent partner: good calling, sharp singles, and the knack of cushioning pressure if his mate is sprinting at the other end.

7. Pathum Nissanka, Sri Lanka

   For purists. Compact set-up, quiet hands, and immaculate judgement of length. Nissanka isn’t always the headline act, yet he fertilizes innings: low-risk twos, glide to third, and late acceleration once the ball is older. Against high pace he trusts the inside line and keeps cover drives in the locker until he’s in.

8. Ibrahim Zadran, Afghanistan

   One of the brightest young openers in the world, Ibrahim has the rare calm of a veteran. He plays straight early, shelves macho strokes, and sets himself innings goals. The big strength is an uncluttered mind—he’s happy to go 20 off 35 if that’s what’s needed to see off a new-ball spell, then cash in against fifth bowlers.

9. Phil Salt, England

   You could argue Salt belongs higher based on raw demolition. The reason he checks in here—and not above the established ODI giants—is sample depth and volatility. But on powerplay value alone, he’s oxygen. Intimidates pace at the top, hits V and square with equal conviction, and holds nothing back.

10. Imam-ul-Haq, Pakistan

    Often underestimated because his powerplay looks understated. Imam is a steady-state ODI opener who builds foundation. He’s at his best when he’s the metronome that frees the other end. Slim false-shot percentage, neat off his hip, cuts with control rather than violence.

Also in the conversation: Dawid Malan (when opening), Litton Das, Will Young, Rahmanullah Gurbaz.

Best Test opener in the world: the top 10 and why

Test opening is about leaving, living, and leaving again. It’s the last refuge for defense as a scoring option. The best Test openers are negotiators more than hitters, linguists who understand swing and seam in a dialect you can’t fake.

1. Usman Khawaja, Australia

   He’s become a master of drift-free batting. Watch Khawaja from side-on and you’ll see the head stay still as the front knee dips just enough to cover the ball under the nose. He nudges the seam back towards the stumps with his bat face rather than by chasing it. On flat decks he is prolific; on nibble decks he’s patient. Above all, he trusts time—refusing to manufacture strokes to escape a lull—and wins long passages of play.

2. Yashasvi Jaiswal, India

   Singular talent. Tall stride into the line, fearless use of his feet to fast bowling when the ball doesn’t swing, and a delicious array against spin that turns Test mornings into T20 afternoons. The reason he’s here is not the boundaries; it’s the willingness to soak maidens when conditions demand it, then vault the tempo once surface and ball relent. He’s reimagining what a subcontinental Test opener can be: belligerent and technically responsible.

3. Dimuth Karunaratne, Sri Lanka

   Dimuth is a Test opener’s Test opener: heavy leaves, soft hands, run-making that grows like a vine rather than an explosion. He collects his runs with back-foot deflections, a controlled square drive, and the understated push that disarms the keeper. Away from home he’s pragmatic; at home he’s a metronome.

4. Rohit Sharma, India

   Rohit’s transition to Test opener is one of the great career pivots. He picked a narrower bat path to ball, let the ball come under his chin, and simplified decision-making early. His value is twofold: control early, destruction once set. And he might be the best counterattacker among Test openers; when quicks overpitch a fraction, he pummels the ball right back through the line.

5. Ben Duckett, England

   An unusual opener in Test tradition, which is exactly why he works. Duckett takes the game to the bowlers with sweeps—conventional and reverse—almost as a defensive system. Against pace he thrives on cut too. What elevates him is consistency within this audacity; he reads fields quickly and takes high-percentage gaps even while accelerating.

6. Abdullah Shafique, Pakistan

   Class. High-elbow cover drive, decisive footwork, and serenity. Shafique’s hallmark is judgement. He will let the ball go so late you’ll think he’s missed the chance to score—and then, when the line strays, he’ll lean into a picture-perfect punch through cover. He has the temperament for fourth-innings batting, which is the exam that breaks many openers.

7. Zak Crawley, England

   Crawley has tidied his method without losing his reach. That’s the key. He’s tall, so he can get across and cover off-stump while still picking up anything short or overpitched. Yes, there are days when edges pile up, but the days he gets in, he ruins lengths. He’s become more decisive outside off, and with that comes more scores.

8. Tom Latham, New Zealand

   When Latham is on, his trigger movement and alignment make him look invulnerable. He’s superb against right-arm seamers angling across him; he waits and dabs rather than chases. His strength is long stays: high balls-per-dismissal in tricky sessions, which lets New Zealand’s engine room walk out with a softer ball.

9. Kraigg Brathwaite, West Indies

   Deep reserves of grit. Brathwaite’s grip, compact backlift, and crab-like shuffle set him up to play late. He loves batting time, and he’s an underrated manipulator of gaps on the leg side. If there’s a headwind, he leans into it. If there’s a storm, he counts raindrops.

10. Devon Conway, New Zealand

    Aesthetics meet substance. Conway’s balance allows him to handle lateral movement with minimal fuss. He knits partnerships and rarely gives chances when set. He doesn’t muscle as much as he hums through the gears.

Also in contention: Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Rizwan (occasional opener), Alex Lees (revival watch), Aiden Markram (when asked to open).

Best T20I opener in the world: the top 10 and why

T20 is ruthlessly phase-driven. The first twelve balls of a T20 innings often decide the game. The best T20 openers bring a playbook for those twelve balls that works regardless of pitch or attack.

1. Phil Salt, England

   He’s the walking advertisement for intent. Salt attacks a length that most batters defend and does it with a still head and a number of contact points: slap over point, flat-bat past mid-on, roll to square leg. He powers through the ball rather than slicing across it, which lets him control mis-hits. Boundary rate in the powerplay, across opponents and venues, pushes him to no 1.

2. Travis Head, Australia

   Head’s T20 opening knocks look like highlight montages stitched together. He’s a nightmare to set fields against. Pitch up: carve. Bang it in: front-foot pull. Go wide yorker: reach and slap. He often settles matches before the middle overs start. What’s changed is his strike rate against spin early—now he can step out and hit straight, so captains can’t hide him.

3. Jos Buttler, England

   No one combines brutality with balance quite like Buttler. He can score 360 without playing circus shots. Wrist strength through midwicket, a picked-up ramp, and the pick-up drive that lands on the blue seats. When he chooses to take a game deep, he’s the most dangerous closer among openers.

4. Yashasvi Jaiswal, India

   Explosive. Jaiswal is one of the few who will take on swing with a positive stride and still meet the ball under his eyes. He doesn’t just clear the infield; he empties it. Against spin he kills length with early feet. T20 openers survive on range, and his range is dizzying.

5. Rohit Sharma, India

   When Rohit decides the first over is going, it goes. The ball still flies from his bat with that characteristic hissing sound. What keeps him elite is the tactical awareness: if the new ball swings, he plays percentage; if it doesn’t, he raids. Few better at using field settings like a chess player moving bishops.

6. Babar Azam, Pakistan

   If you want serenity in the storm, take Babar. His powerplay strike rate isn’t always volcanic, but he builds substructure: high control, minimal risks, and a base that lets a hitter at the other end go wild. When he has license, he often steps into a second-half surge that lifts the par comfortably.

7. Mohammad Rizwan, Pakistan

   Rizwan’s talent is repeatability. Same back-and-across, same pick-up over midwicket, same glide through third—over and over. He’s less about jaw-dropping moments and more about outlasting attacks while scoring briskly. In low-scoring conditions he’s gold dust.

8. Quinton de Kock, South Africa

   Left-hand fear factor. De Kock switches angles and sweeps seam like a subcontinental master. That gives him access to both sides of the wicket in the powerplay and complicates yorker plans. When he catches one, it stays hit.

9. Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Afghanistan

   Pure audacity. Gurbaz takes on off-stump lines with a swing that stays vertical long enough to control the ball. He loves picking up pace over the leg side but is learning to use the off-side pockets earlier. He’s a spike hitter: wins you games solo.

10. Finn Allen, New Zealand

    Raw pace-hitter with serious bat speed. Allen’s best powerplays feel like lawnmower sessions: back of a length, bang; full, bang; short, bang. When the surface holds, he adapts by sitting deeper. Consistency remains a work in progress, but the ceiling is sky-high.

Others knocking: Reeza Hendricks, Will Jacks (league monster), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Litton Das.

Best league openers: IPL, PSL, BBL

Different tournaments have different shapes—altitudes, dew, boundary sizes, travel. The best opener in each league knits into that context.

IPL: the top-shelf opening ecosystem

• Best IPL opener right now: Shubman Gill

  Why: classical base, repeatable scoring patterns on slow and batting-friendly surfaces, elite field manipulation in the middle overs.

• Most destructive IPL opener: Travis Head

  Why: first six overs as a weapon; invents scoring areas that force early defensive fields.

• Most consistent IPL opener: Virat Kohli

  Why: unmatched repeatability; minimal low phases across long seasons; manipulates pace and spin with singles that never feel like singles.

• Best left-right IPL opening pair archetype: Gill + a left-hand destroyer (e.g., Head or Jaiswal)

  Why: bowlers lose their lines; powerplay angles break.

PSL: pace country

• Best PSL opener right now: Mohammad Rizwan

  Why: PSL new-ball spells can be spicy. Rizwan’s control, tempo, and ability to milk good balls matter. He soaks pressure for a hitter at the other end.

• Most dangerous PSL opener on flatter nights: Fakhar Zaman

  Why: his high-variance style flips the game in half an hour; perfect for momentum leagues.

BBL: length hunters

• Best BBL opener right now: Matt Short

  Why: one-man run engines, especially on drop-in pitches where ball holds. Short’s ability to loft straight and pierce point is critical. Add useful overs, and he’s a complete T20 package as an opener.

What makes a great opener: the real craft

• New-ball literacy

  The first twenty balls of an innings are the openers’ turf. Great openers read shape in the first two deliveries and adjust bat face accordingly. Against conventional outswing, elite openers play “under” the ball—bat angle slightly closed to keep the ball down. Against angle-in seamers, they stay leg-side of the ball to avoid being tucked up.

• Leave as a scoring shot (Test)

  That shoulder drop and late bat withdrawal cost bowlers energy and invite errors. The best Test openers often turn three maidens into two half-volleys by refusing to be baited.

• Powerplay mathematics (white-ball)

  Top tier ODI/T20 openers track fielders like a chess player tracks pieces: deep third moved square—now the drag to fine leg is on; mid-on up—down the ground becomes the highest-percentage boundary. The greats don’t chase sixes; they find the least protected 4.

• Spin contingency

  Openers who can score off good-length spin without high risk break T20 powerplays and ODI middle overs. Two methods work: early feet to turn length into full, or late hands to dab into off-side pockets. The greats usually possess both.

• Partner chemistry

  Opening is a duet. Loud calls, trust in short singles, pre-over chat about match-ups. You can spot a good pair by the way they glance at each other between balls and tiny hand gestures that signal pre-agreed plans.

• Clutch resilience

  The best opener in the world is who they are when the ball is nipping and the scoreboard is growling. Look for innings where they’re 8 off 28 and still in control. Look for knockouts where the first over is a boundary and a message.

The metrics that matter for openers

Metric	Why it matters
Average, opposition-adjusted	Runs are the currency; opposition quality is inflation.
Strike rate (and powerplay SR)	Tempo sets par; early hitting in white-ball steals the game.
Control % and false shot %	Test survival; an opener’s heartbeat.
Start-to-conversion rate	It’s not about getting in; it’s about going big after getting in.
Phase splits (overs 1–10, 11–25, death)	Shows role clarity and adaptability.
Dismissal modes (bowled/LBW vs caught behind)	Technical tells against movement.
Away vs home	Great openers travel; good ones sometimes don’t.
Partnership runs and stands	Opening is a pair craft.

Conditions and context: where great openers truly separate

• Dukes vs Kookaburra vs SG

  Dukes rewards patience; Kookaburra can go flat fast; SG bites earlier and reverses more reliably. A top Test opener modulates the initial guard—middle vs middle-and-leg—based on seam profile and ball manufacturer.

• SENA vs subcontinent

  In SENA, the challenge is lateral early movement and bounce. In Asia, it’s the abrasive ball and early spin. The best openers maintain scoring options on both sides: back-foot late cut and the front-foot press in SENA; the sweep range and a straight bat in Asia.

• Day-night

  Under lights, swing exaggerates. Watch for openers who push their contact point later at dusk and resist the urge to drive on the up.

• Altitude and dew

  In certain venues, balls fly and bowlers weep. Dew can flatten spin and disarm cutters. White-ball openers who can recognize dew early commit to hitting length balls that normally grip—huge edge.

Who is the best ODI opener in the world? Full case file

Travis Head sits at the top because of his damage profile. He doesn’t only score fast; he recalibrates what a “safe” over looks like for the bowling side. His long levers let him pummel good length, which is usually the bowler’s refuge. That means opponents either pitch shorter (cuttable) or fuller (driveable). If you select him for one ODI that must be won, he’s a cheat code. Rohit Sharma runs him close on all-round value. When Rohit goes big, he smothers attacks for twenty overs at a stretch and makes your No. 5’s job a joy. Gill is the heir, already there with his control and minimal-risk scoring.

Who is the best Test opener in the world? Full case file

Usman Khawaja edges it on durability in multiple conditions and his refusal to be forced off plan by the moving ball. Test opening is the longest negotiation in cricket. He wins those by absorbing the bowler’s best spells and turning the last hour of the day into accumulation. Yashasvi Jaiswal’s gear range gives him unique ceilings—on certain days he’s untouchable—and Dimuth Karunaratne remains a metronome that carries teams through tough mornings. Rohit Sharma is the best counterpunching Test opener; if you want a session that seizes a game, pick him.

Who is the best T20 opener in the world? Full case file

Phil Salt is the current barometer of intent. He meets pace with pace and has an answer to width, length, and swing in the first two overs. That’s not bravado; it’s preparation—preset plans for over one and two, clear zones, and a willingness to live with risk. Buttler and Head haunt bowlers for different reasons: Buttler because there’s no obvious weak ball, Head because there’s no safe length. Jaiswal blends the two with youthful fearlessness.

Greatest opening batsman of all time

The all-time discussion is different. It must respect longevity, adaptability, and era adjustment. Pitches, balls, and fielding standards change, but greatness travels.

Tests (all-time short list)

• Sunil Gavaskar: more than any opener, he normalized excellence against fast bowling on quick surfaces with a pure technique—bat under the line, late decisions, endless concentration. He made history feel methodical.
• Matthew Hayden: the enforcer. Big stride, massive presence, and a mental game that smothered attacks. He forced length changes that fed his cuts and drives.
• Virender Sehwag: outlier genius. He took the first ball of a Test like it was the last over of a T20. But behind the violence was geometry—widened stance, stable head, and the courage to keep his bat swing consistent against pace.
• Alastair Cook: metronomic run-building, steely patience, and leadership. He became the north star for how to bat seventeen sessions in one series without losing your mind or shape.
• Graeme Smith: captaincy aura allied with a squashy technique that somehow ate leg-side bowling. He wore attacks down, literally with his weight and figuratively with a will that didn’t bend.

ODIs (all-time short list)

• Sachin Tendulkar: he redefined the role—opener as anchor and accelerator. The uppercut, the straight drive, and the ability to play percentages for entire tournaments made him a standard.
• Rohit Sharma: the most complete ODI opener of the modern era. Range hitting plus temperament. Those tall hundreds from the top bend entire series arcs.
• Adam Gilchrist: the wicketkeeper opener revolution. He ripped the powerplay apart before fielding restrictions softened. Left-hand havoc with clean technique.
• Sanath Jayasuriya: the pinch-hit pioneer who turned pinch hitting into a profession. He made teams rethink powerplay defense forever.
• Saeed Anwar: timing and grace with a ruthless streak; he could lace ball after ball through gaps that barely existed.

T20/T20I (all-time short list)

• Chris Gayle: the undisputed king in league cricket, a brand of opening that dared bowlers to take pace off at their peril. He made “stand and deliver” an art form and set the template for T20 openers worldwide.
• Rohit Sharma: league and international longevity with a bag of shots that never seem to age. He links eras and still wins games.
• David Warner: street-fighter mind, iron fitness, and relentless scoring across conditions. Capable of doing volumes or volcanoes.
• Jos Buttler: the most rounded range hitter among wicketkeeper-openers. His best is surgical rather than thug…

…gish, which is why it lasts.

Opening partnerships that made the role legendary

• Greenidge and Haynes: economy of risk, perfect handshake of roles. They turned two into ruthless accumulation.
• Hayden and Langer: soft hands and sledgehammer. Their partnership told a story before the ball was bowled.
• Sehwag and Gambhir: controlled volatility. When they aligned, bowlers ran out of plans and courage.
• Rohit and Dhawan: rhythm twins. They could bat blindfolded together and still rotate like clockwork.

Country and style breakouts

• India: tradition of touch players who adapt their gears. Current crop mixes classic (Gill) with fireworks (Jaiswal).
• Australia: aggression is wiring, not choice. Head and Warner exemplify “don’t wait to react; force.”
• England: white-ball T20 pedigree gives starters fearless options—Buttler and Salt expand the off-side like origami.
• Pakistan: left-hand dynamism plus serene right-hand anchors; Fakhar and Babar/Rizwan combinations define contrasts.
• New Zealand: technical correctness and partnership thinking; Conway and Latham preserve shape.
• Sri Lanka: neat technique factories; Nissanka and Karunaratne show textbook virtues.
• South Africa: athleticism with hand speed; de Kock sets the tone.

A data-tinged, eye-test powered top boards

Current ODI top 10 snapshot

1. Travis Head
2. Rohit Sharma
3. Shubman Gill
4. Quinton de Kock
5. Fakhar Zaman
6. Devon Conway
7. Pathum Nissanka
8. Ibrahim Zadran
9. Phil Salt
10. Imam-ul-Haq

Current Test top 10 snapshot

1. Usman Khawaja
2. Yashasvi Jaiswal
3. Dimuth Karunaratne
4. Rohit Sharma
5. Ben Duckett
6. Abdullah Shafique
7. Zak Crawley
8. Tom Latham
9. Kraigg Brathwaite
10. Devon Conway

Current T20I top 10 snapshot

1. Phil Salt
2. Travis Head
3. Jos Buttler
4. Yashasvi Jaiswal
5. Rohit Sharma
6. Babar Azam
7. Mohammad Rizwan
8. Quinton de Kock
9. Rahmanullah Gurbaz
10. Finn Allen

Tactical vignettes: how elite openers solve problems

• The first-over tell

  Great openers use ball one and two as surveillance. Bowl in-swing? You’ll see a slight leg-stump guard shuffle. Immediate outswing? Front shoulder points at mid-off, and the bat goes higher to hit later. Watch Rohit: he’ll defend one, leave one, and then loft the same length if the bowler repeats.

• The short-noodle over

  When facing a bowler who’s mixing short-of-a-length cross-seam with change-ups in T20, Phil Salt stands outside leg and creates room to hit back over point, forcing the bowler to chase his line. Once the bowler follows, the pick-up over midwicket comes out.

• The patience loop

  Usman Khawaja will take three consecutive leaves to balls just outside fourth stump and then defend the next ball a touch outside the line to show bat, inviting a fuller ball which he can then clip. It’s a rope-a-dope for seamers relying on corridor-of-uncertainty.

• The left-hand disruption

  Quinton de Kock and Fakhar Zaman both create havoc with field settings because left-handers shift the bowler’s default lines. De Kock’s early-sweep threat drags a square-leg back, opening a wriggle room for singles through midwicket even to decent deliveries.

Powerplay mastery: who sets the tone best

• The most dangerous first-10-over ODI openers: Travis Head and Rohit Sharma. Head for pace murder, Rohit for lines that disappear under lofted drives. Gill sits slightly behind for risk control without bludgeon.
• The best T20 powerplay engine: Phil Salt. Buttler and Head breathe down his neck, with Jaiswal not far behind. Rizwan’s value is control in difficult pitch conditions rather than pure violence.

Away-day specialists

• Test away masters: Khawaja and Karunaratne. They can turn a spicy morning in helpful seamers’ countries into long afternoons of singles and soft hands. Abdullah Shafique has shown a temperament that travels, especially in fourth-innings scenarios.
• ODI away reliability: Rohit and Conway. Rohit’s swing management holds. Conway’s compactness is built for movement.

Spin vs pace splits: who owns what

• Pace destroyers

  Head, Salt, Warner (white-ball), Jaiswal. High bat speed plus early contact points.

• Spin controllers

  Rohit, Buttler, Babar, de Kock. Use depth of crease and pace of ball to find singles and then pick favorable lengths for release shots.

The psychology you don’t see on TV

• The pre-game visual reel

  Many elite openers run a mental sizzle reel of two to three shots they’ll take in the first over: the leave, the push to mid-off, the cut on width. They’re not guessing; they’re priming.

• “First boundary” rule

  Some openers set an inner rule: first boundary must be along the ground, first six only if the ball is in a pre-decided zone. This keeps adrenaline within a tactical box.

• Partner anchoring

  In pairs like Babar–Rizwan, you’ll notice ownership of the over by one player—hand raised, pointed chat, body language—while the other sits in the co-pilot seat. They swap that role based on match-up.

Skill clinic: micro-tweaks that changed careers

• Narrower trigger, later bat for Rohit in red-ball

  He trimmed early movement and brought his bat down straighter. That one change allowed him to keep the corridor ball under control and earned him the right to open in Tests.

• Back-and-across emphasis for Travis Head

  It gave him access to short-of-a-length and let him free his arms through cover without falling over to the off-side.

• Sweep package for Duckett

  Not a novelty; a system. Reverse as early as over one against spin, then the bowlers panic and drag it short. He doesn’t drag sweeps from outside; he connects late with a horizontal blade that lowers risk.

• Balance and trigger refinement for Khawaja

  Keeping the head over off-stump longer and delaying the decision point turned a returning middle-order player into the best Test opener around.

How teams think about openers in selection meetings

• ODI

  They want a left-right combo if possible, at least one hitter who can average, and one banker who can maintain tempo without risk. They prize first-10-over boundary threat—and will live with a wicket—if the middle order is gun.

• Test

  They want a leave merchant, someone who loves a maiden, and they will trade early boundaries for a high balls-per-dismissal rate in the first hour.

• T20

  They’ll pay for powerplay strike rate, even at the cost of average, if the middle order is deep. If the middle is fragile, they’ll prefer a Buttler/Rizwan type who can both start and finish.

FAQs: quick, straight answers

• Who is no 1 opener in the world in ODI cricket right now?

  Travis Head.

• Who is the best T20 opener currently?

  Phil Salt.

• Who is the best Test opener right now?

  Usman Khawaja.

• Who is the best opening batsman in the world across formats right now?

  If one name must go on the team sheet for any format, Rohit Sharma sits at the top for all-round completeness, with Travis Head the most fearsome white-ball match-changer.

• Who is the greatest opening batsman of all time?

  Tests: Sunil Gavaskar’s case is supreme. ODIs: Sachin Tendulkar for longevity and revolution. T20s: Chris Gayle for league dominance and role-defining power.

• Which opener has the best powerplay strike rate right now?

  Among established internationals, Phil Salt and Travis Head lead the pack, with Jaiswal close.

• Who has the most hundreds as an opener?

  Tests: Sunil Gavaskar holds the record among openers. ODIs: Sachin Tendulkar leads the list. T20I hundreds are rarer; Rohit Sharma leads overall in the format and most came as an opener.

The verdict: the best opener in the world, and what that really means

Cricket worships numbers, but opening is feeling. You feel the ball wobble. You feel the length. You feel the first roar when you punch one through extra-cover and the bowler stares at the mark like it betrayed him. That feeling is what the best in the world manage better than everyone else.

Right now, across formats, Travis Head is the white-ball arsonist who burns plans, Rohit Sharma is the high priest of complete opening in both white and red ball, Usman Khawaja is the quiet ruler of Test mornings, and Phil Salt is the point-of-the-spear in T20I powerplays. A rung below, Shubman Gill, Jos Buttler, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Quinton de Kock, Babar Azam, and Mohammad Rizwan make up the rare company that can tilt a game before most players have broken sweat.

One last thing: opening isn’t just the start of an innings; it’s the tone of a team. When your opener walks out like the game belongs to him, everybody else stands a little taller. That’s the edge the world’s best deliver, and why this debate matters as much in dressing rooms as it does on living room sofas.