Brothers-in-Arms: Top 5 partnership pairs by average for India in tests

Partnerships – lifeblood for a team game. Batting partnerships win you matches and save you matches in cricket. There is something beautiful about two batsmen defying the odds, obstinate in their defiance, unmovable, no matter what the opposition throws at them.

Over the years, there have been some seriously good pairs in cricket which have forced the opposition to give in. Some do it on momentous occasions like the case of the famous Dravid-Laxman stand, first in Kolkata and then in Adelaide. Some do it match after match, like Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid, who hold the record for most partnership runs by a pair – 6920 at 50.51 in 143 innings with 20 century and 29 half-century partnerships.

There is only one word for that – staggering. It meant every time the two batsmen came together, there was a one in three chance that they will add at least 50 runs together. The Dravid-Sachin pair also holds the record for most partnership runs for India in wins – 3203 runs at 65.36.

Then there is the illustrious pair of Greenidge and Haynes for that matter – arguably the world’s greatest opening pair - which added 6482 runs at 47.31, just behind Sri Lanka’s Jayawardene and Sangakkara, contemporary cricket’s most prominent best friends who come a close second with 6554 runs.

This piece is about those Indian pairs which have consistently added runs commemorating the occasion of Murali Vijay and Cheteshwar Pujara adding another century partnership to their already impressive tally. Only 85 pairs in the history of Test cricket have added in excess of 2000 runs. 13 of those pairs are Indian - Pujara and Vijay being the latest to join the club.

We take a look at the top 5 Indian pairs in terms of average. (Stats courtesy: Cricinfo)

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#1 Cheteshwar Pujara & Murali Vijay – 66.20

Being on top of the list where there are pairs like Dravid and Sehwag, Dravid and Laxman, and Tendulkar and Ganguly is serious business. Vijay and Pujara have achieved it with minimal fuss. The duo has added 2251 runs in just 35 innings at a stupendous average of 66.20 with 7 century and 9 half-century partnerships.

That is 16 fifty-plus partnerships in 35 matches, almost one every two innings. That is the kind of stability that they add to the batting order. In terms of all pairs across all countries, Pujara and Vijay’s partnership average is an impressive 11^th. The highest average is 91.82 – between Javed Miandad and Shoaib Mohammad, who added 2112 runs in just 23 innings.

Interestingly, Vijay and Pujara could have easily jumped to 8^th position (107* at the end of Day 2) by the end of Day 3 of the fourth Test between India and England, above the Hayden-Ponting pair which boasts an average of 67.11, only marginally ahead of three other pairs.

Pujara and Vijay have a highest partnership score of 370. That colossal score came in their very second innings together against Australia in Hyderabad in March 2013. Interestingly, their first partnership was a match-winning 72 in Pujara’s debut match. Impressively enough, Vijay and Pujara are third in terms of average in Test victories having scored 1223 runs at 67.94.

#2 Sourav Ganguly & Sachin Tendulkar – 61.36

With a high score of 281, the duo is third on the list of most partnership runs for Indian behind the Gambhir-Sehwag and Dravid-Tendulkar pairs

Ganguly and Tendulkar average 61.36, substantially behind Pujara and Vijay. However, they managed to add 4173 runs in 71 innings with 12 century and 16 half-century partnerships. Their numbers ensured India had one of the strongest middle-orders over a decade with Sachin and Ganguly walking in at No.4 and No.5 respectively during the latter half of Ganguly’s career.

With a high score of 281, the duo is third on the list of most partnership runs for Indian behind the Gambhir-Sehwag and Dravid-Tendulkar pairs. They are also one of only 10 pairs in the world to aggregate more than 4000 partnership runs, putting them straight in the Hall of Fame.

The duo hit it off on the right notes from the start adding 64 for the third wicket at Lord’s and then following it up with a classy 255 at Nottingham. Although they had couple of mammoth double century partnerships in India and Sri Lanka, another impressive partnership worth talking about was at Leeds, 2002 when they added 249 in keeping up with their excellent record in England and setting up a memorable win.

Impressively, Ganguly and Tendulkar have the highest average for any Indian pair with more than 1000 partnership runs in Test victories – 70.09. They added 1472 in just 22 innings. Sehwag and Gambhir averaged 68 scoring 2312 runs, showing why they were such a lethal opening pair.

#3 Rahul Dravid & Virender Sehwag – 60.41

Averaging 60.41, the duo added 3383 runs in 58 innings with 10 century and 11 half-century partnerships

This pair that garnered the second highest Indian opening partnership of 410 runs and third overall across all countries (narrowly missing the record mark of 415), scored valiantly in Lahore against their arch-rivals Pakistan in their own den. Dravid and Sehwag, were classic fire and ice.

Averaging 60.41, the duo added 3383 runs in 58 innings with 10 century and 11 half-century partnerships. Dravid played as No.3 in most of these innings but he also opened the innings along with Sehwag in quite a few of their Tests together.

What is telling though is that the Dravid-Sehwag pair doesn’t feature in the list of partners with more than 1000 runs in Test victories.

#4 Mohammad Azharuddin and Sachin Tendulkar – 58.17

Azhar and Sachin scored 2385 runs together in 42 innings

No one can forget the magnificent partnership between the two batsmen for the sixth wicket – a scintillating 222 against South Africa in Cape Town – which was followed by a fourth wicket partnership of 221 runs against Sri Lanka in Colombo in the very next innings a few months later.

Azhar and Sachin scored 2385 runs together in 42 innings at an impressive average of 58.17 with 9 centuries and 5 half-centuries, the best conversion rate from 50 to 100 of all the Indian pairs with more than 2000 runs together.

Apart from their two double century partnerships away from home (to add to one at home), the duo shared another century partnership away from home in Manchester in 1990, a match remembered for Sachin’s maiden Test century, when India almost chased down a target of 408.

#5 Mohinder Amarnath and Sunil Gavaskar – 55.02

Their first century partnership came during the hallowed 70s against West Indies in Port of Spain

Amarnath and Gavaskar, two Indian legends of the yesteryears and amongst the world’s best performers against the West Indian fast-bowling greats, added 2366 runs at 55.02 with 10 centuries and 7 half-centuries in just 44 innings. Their first century partnership came during the hallowed 70s against West Indies in Port of Spain.

Other memorable partnerships include 193 that they added against Australia in 1977 in Perth, setting up a great match that India lost by two wickets having set Australia a target of 339. Other highlights include their four century partnerships against arch-rivals Pakistan feared for their fast bowlers in their own den in Karachi, Faisalabad, Hyderabad and Karachi respectively.

There was a double century partnership in Sydney as well in 1986, the duo’s highest, ensuring India returned home proud after a drawn series down under.