India’s Highest Test Partnerships: There is a lot of emphasis on building a partnership in Test cricket. The fine art of batting itself is mainly centered around partnerships. A batting partner can ease off the pressure on his counterpart. There are occasions when looking at the batsmen at the other end the partner gets in good rhythm. The running between the wickets gets better if there is fine communication between batters.
Batsmen are able to dominate opponents when they stitch long partnerships. Indian cricket has seen many batting partnerships that instantly comfort the fan. These players when they bat together often end up winning the game for the team.
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We look at a few of India’s highest Test partnerships:
#5 Virat Kohli – Ajinkya Rahane
The former captain and his then-deputy are arguably India’s two best Test batters of the last decade. Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane have put on memorable partnerships whenever they have batted together. Their famous partnerships include the era-defining MCG Test in 2014-15. Kohli and Rahane matched each other shot for shot. They also put on a determined show in Indore against New Zealand in 2016. The pair has brought up 3,634 runs in 66 innings of batting together. They average 56.78 as a pair. Kohli-Rahane put on 10-century stands and 17 half-century stands!
#4 Rahul Dravid – VVS Laxman
The mention of these two names immediately takes one back to two of India’s greatest Test wins. Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman first came together in a Test that changed the face of Test cricket in the country. Laxman-Dravid put on 376 runs in the famous Eden Gardens Test in 2001 to stun the Aussies. They put on a similar 303-run stand in Adelaide in 2003 to help India win a Test in Australia after 22 years. The pair scored 4,065 runs in 86 innings at an average of 51.45.
#3 Sourav Ganguly – Sachin Tendulkar
Their partnership in Tests is widely underrated. Sourav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar are often associated with their great partnership in ODIs. But the duo were equally successful batting together in whites for India. Their memorable partnerships include the one in Headingley in 2002 where India piled up more than 600 runs. It resulted in a famous Indian win in what is regarded as the most difficult English conditions. They batted in 71 innings together scoring 4,173 runs at an average of 61.36 (highest on this list).
#2 Gautam Gambhir – Virender Sehwag
India has not managed to get an opening pair that is close to the class of Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag. The Delhi duo starred in many brisk opening stands that often tilt the game in India’s balance. They played a big part in India reaching the summit of the Test rankings. It was this stand that laid the foundation for the iconic chase of 387 in Chennai. Gambhir-Sehwag flourished as a pair across conditions and that was their biggest strength. They aggregated 4,412 runs in 87 innings at an average of 52.52.
#1 Rahul Dravid – Sachin Tendulkar
It is no surprise that both these names appear twice on this list. Dravid and Tendulkar are two of India’s finest-ever Test batters. They were synonymous with the number 3 and number 4 position. It was this pair that showed Indian batters can also excel in testing overseas conditions.
The epic Chennai Test in 2001, Headingley (2002), Nottingham (2002), the list is endless when it comes to this pair. They not just top the charts for India but are the most successful partnership in the history of the game. Dravid-Tendulkar accumulated 6,920 runs in 143 innings at an average of 50.51. Their 20-centuries and 29 half-centuries stand is another world record!
