Top 5 Test opening pairs of all time

#5 Herschelle Gibbs/Graeme Smith (South Africa)

Smith and Gibbs had an average of over 50

The pair is not as celebrated as some of the other opening pairs and yet between 2002-2008, the duo was quietly efficient, helping South Africa build a great reputation at home and away. They were prolific at home and equally good away, which is evident from their 50+ away average.

The duo has three triple century opening partnerships, almost unheard of in contemporary cricket. The only blip is the absence of data from down under in Australia. That would have been ideal to place them among the pantheon of greats. Nevertheless, they managed enough to make an appearance on this list.

Innings	Runs	Average	Away average	100s	50s
56	2983	56.28	53.85	7	10

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Honourable Mention: Gautam Gambhir/Virender Sehwag

The left and right hand combination worked wonders for India at the top of the order

India’s best Test opening pair, a perfect combination of attack and defence, left and right hand and great running between the wickets, Gambhir and Sehwag set up many a Test victory for India. The duo placed fifth in the all-time highest partnership tallies, has the highest average amongst the top five pairs.

Away from home, they have a respectable average of 42.47. The highlight of their partnership is the 36 fifty-plus scores they amassed in just 87 innings, one almost every 2.5 innings, far more efficient than most contemporary pairs. Their only blip is their poor performance in Australia, which brings them down in this list. Despite that, thanks to their average and overall tally they deserve a mention here.

Innings	Runs	Average	Away average	100s	50s
87	4412	52.52	42.47	11	25

A quiet mention should also be made of the other Indian opening pair of Chetan Chauhan and Sunil Gavaskar. They amassed 3010 runs at 53.15 with 10 century and 10 half-century partnerships in 59 innings with an away average, equally good – 53.60. However, they were not tested in West Indies. Other than that, they were absolutely top-class for India between 1973-1981.