5 dream cross-generation openers who would have blunted out any attack in Test cricket

In tests, significant emphasis is laid on the opening pair as they have the onus of both seeing out the new ball as well as laying the foundation for a big score. Over the years, many teams have been lucky to have one great opening pair after another.

In this article, we combine batsmen from successful pairs across generations to bring you five dream opening pairs.

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#5 Hanif Mohammad and Saeed Anwar

Pakistan is a team known for its bowling prowess. However, over the course of their 65-year cricketing history, they have been graced with several fine batsmen. Hanif Mohammad and Saeed Anwar are arguably two of the finest.

Nicknamed 'the original little master', Hanif Mohammad was a batsman of the classical mould. His defence was difficult to get through and the fact that he barely ever hit the ball in the air meant that opposition captains were left scratching their heads in a bid to get him out.

His 970-minute vigil versus the West Indies in 1958 continues to remain the longest test innings by duration.

After a forgettable debut in which he was dismissed for a couple of runs, Saeed Anwar bounced back to become a permanent fixture of the largely successful Pakistan team of the nineties. Through his eye-catching strokeplay, Anwar often got his team off to brisk starts. He finished his career as Pakistan's highest run-grossing opener.

Hanif's dogged resistance and Anwar's fluent strokeplay would certainly have made for the perfect opening pair for Pakistan.

#2 Desmond Haynes and Chris Gayle

Desmond Haynes and Chris Gayle: A coming together of fire and ice

This pair is the perfect example of how opposites seem attractive. Perhaps, the only similarity between the two is the permanent smile that their faces wear. However, if Haynes' caution and Gayle's brute force were to come together, it would result in an ominous opening pair for any bowling attack.

Haynes, along with his partner Gordon Greenidge, debilitated attack after attack through the late seventies and the eighties. Till date, the duo continue to remain the most successful opening combination in tests. The only batsman to have carried his bat thrice, Haynes was widely regarded for placing a price on his wicket.

For all his acclaim as a T20 specialist, Chris Gayle is a mighty good test batsman as well. Though one would expect him to go hammer and tong from the first ball, he can also alter his approach as is evident from his almost eight-hour-long, match-saving knock of 165 versus Australia in 2009.

That being said, Gayle has stayed true to his image and is tenth on the list of batsmen with the highest strike rates in tests (minimum of 5000 test runs).

West Indies' fans would have been thrilled to have the fire and ice combination of Haynes and Gayle at the top of the order.

#3 Geoffrey Boycott and Alastair Cook

Boycott and Cook: A pair that would ooze class

This perhaps is the most interesting pair on this list. Though they have a similar approach to the game, they have had significant differences in opinion over the years. In fact, it would be fair to say that Boycott has been one of Cook's harshest critics. These differences aside, this pair at the top would be a mouth-watering prospect for The Three Lions.

Widely regarded as one of the most complete defensive batsmen in the history of the game, Boycott was a thorn in the flesh for the bowling attacks he faced. His 8091 runs as an opener (a record at the time) bear testament to the quality of his batting. An even intriguing statistic is that England lost only 20 of the 108 tests he featured in.

Playing in an age where most batsmen are known for their flair, Cook is a batsman known for his tenacity. His watertight defence has demoralised many a bowler and has laid the foundation for some of England's most famous victories (read the Ashes Down Under and the Pataudi trophy in India). Not surprisingly, he is the only opener to have scored more than 10,000 runs in tests.

The stubborn opening pair of Boycott and Cook would have taken the edge off any attack in the world.

#2 Matthew Hayden and David Warner

Matthew Hayden and David Warner would be a destructive pair

Replacing a great player is not easy. Often, it takes years to fill the void a great player's departure leaves. Australia, however, are lucky in this regard. Less than three years after Matthew Hayden's retirement, they managed to find an almost perfect replacement in the form of David Warner.

At the beginning of his career, Hayden had been deemed unfit for test cricket owing to technical deficiencies in his game. He overcame those by sheer hard work and the courage to take the game to the opponent's camp each time he took the field. Consequentially, he became Australia's highest grossing opener with a haul of 8625 runs at an average in excess of 50.

Courtesy of his swashbuckling batting, Warner was labelled as a limited overs' specialist at the beginning of his career. However, when a chance to wear the baggie green arrived, he took it with aplomb. In only the second test of his career, he carried the bat versus New Zealand and took his team to within touching distance of a win. The 30-year old hasn't looked back ever since as he has effortlessly replicated his limited over exploits in tests.

A Hayden-Warner combine would take the game away from any opponent in no time.

#1 Sunil Gavaskar and Virender Sehwag

Sunil Gavaskar and Virender Sehwag: A nightmare for any bowling attack

Arguably two of greatest openers in the history of test cricket complete our list. While Gavaskar believed in giving the proverbial first hour to the bowlers, Sehwag didn't even give the first over, thereby making for the perfect 'good cop, bad cop' opening pair.

In a career that spanned 16 years, Gavaskar was the mainstay of India's batting. A solid technique, compact defence and the ability to play every shot in the book meant that conditions and the quality of the attack couldn't have much of an effect on his game. What makes his achievements all the more remarkable is the fact that he never wore a helmet while batting.

To Sehwag, it didn't matter who he was facing; if he had decided to play a shot, he would play it. This devil-may-care attitude of his allowed him to terrorise the best of bowling attacks in the world for more than a decade. Notwithstanding his unconventional approach, he garnered enviable numbers; 8207 runs as an opener at an average of more than 50.

A Gavaskar-Sehwag opening partnership would have been a nightmare for any bowling attack.