5 greatest Test cricket openers of the modern era

#4 Graeme Smith

Graeme Smith of South Africa walks off with his team-mate Gary Kirsten

One of the great cricketing minds that world cricket has witnessed. Graeme Smith was made the captain of South African cricket team at a young age of 22 and he came out with flying colors. He also had the additional responsibility of being an opener for his side and his partnership with fellow great South African Herschelle Gibbs is regarded as one of the finest in the game.

He played various match saving and breathtaking knocks for his team and was known for scoring in the fourth innings which many other batsmen found it difficult.At one point in time, he had more hundreds than the fifties and ended up with 27 test centuries at an outstanding average of 48.25 scoring over 9000 runs in 117 matches.

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#3 Virender Sehwag

Nawab of Najafgarh

When he first entered the scene, he was primarily a middle-order batsman who bowls his off-spinners when required. But on the insistence of the then Indian captain Sourav Ganguly, he started to open the innings. That move is still considered to be a masterstroke in Indian Cricket and it was a turning point in Viru's career.

He is the only right-hander who features in this list of the best opening batsmen in the modern era of Test cricket. Opposition bowlers trembled at the sight of the "Nawab of Najafgarh" coming out to bat. No baller was spared when he was on song as he hit fours and sixes consistently with ferocity hitherto unknown in Test cricket.

He is widely regarded as the best Indian opening batsmen in Test cricket next to the legendary Sunil Gavaskar. Virender Sehwag called off his excellent career in 2013 after scoring a mammoth 8536 runs in 104 test matches at an average of 49.34. He accomplished this with a destructive strike rate of 82.23.