Fastest 11000 runs as an opener in international cricket

On Saturday Rohit Sharma reached the milestone of 11,000 International runs in the second innings of the 4th test match of India vs England. He is the second-fastest cricketer to do so. There are so many other legendary cricketers who have achieved this landmark during their cricketing careers. Here is a list of the top 8 cricketers to score the fastest 11000 runs.

Sachin Tendulkar

Sachin Tendulkar hit the fastest 11000 runs as an opener in 241 innings. Breaking a long-standing record is nothing new for the former Indian cricketer. The God of cricket scored a total of 34357 runs in his International career. He created hundreds of records while achieving these overwhelming runs. Many of his records are certainly unbreakable and the biggest in the cricket of history.

Read also: Most international runs in cricket history

Rohit Sharma

Rohit Sharma is that opener that India would have been incomplete without. During the ongoing 4th test match of India vs England, Rohit Sharma completed his 11000 International runs as an opener and became the second Indian to do so. Also, he scored the second-fastest 11000 runs in just 247 innings. Lastly, he has the highest average of 49.31 among all these openers who crossed 11000 runs. Since the day he started opening for India in 2009, he hit 52 half-centuries and 35 centuries.

Matthew Hayden

The third cricketer on this list is Matthew Hayden from Australia. The former Australian cricketer is the first Australian cricketer to score the fastest 11000 runs. He achieved this feat in just 251 innings. As an opener, he has always been prolific for the team. Also, his partnership with Justin Langer was terrific and they scored 5655 runs together at an average of 51.88. His cricketing career lasted for around 15 years and had a 43.8 average at ODI and 50 plus average in the rest 2 formats of the sport.

Sunil Gavaskar

Sunil Gavaskar, widely considered as one of the best openers in Test cricket history completed his first 11000 international runs in 258 innings. The former Indian cricketer played a key role in giving a good start every time. In his cricketing career, he has scored 13000+ runs with an average of 35.1 in ODI and 51.1 in the test. He was the first Indian batsman who started playing consistently at the international levels.

Read also: ENG vs IND: Highest Opening partnership for Indian in tests in England

Gordon Greenidge

With an average of 45 in ODI and 44.7 in test matches, Gordon Greenidge scored more than 12000 runs in his International cricket career. He is widely considered as one of the most destructive openers ever. In just 261 innings, he completed his 11000 International runs while playing for West Indies. The partnership of Gordon Greenidge and Desmond Haynes was a pivotal part of the West Indies batting lineup during those days. Their first opening partnership was in a test match in 1978 and down the years, they ended their partnership by scoring 6482 runs

Graeme Smith

Graeme Smith is the South African cricketer to score the fastest 11000 runs and the 6th cricketer overall. He achieved this landmark in 262 innings. The former cricketer scored more than 17000 International runs in his cricketing career with an average of 38 in ODI, 31.7 in T20, and 48.2 in Test.

Graham Gooch

Graham Gooch took only 263 innings to complete his 11000 International runs. The former English cricketer made his International debut in 1975 against Australia and continued playing till 1995. During the span of 20 years, he scored more than 14000 International runs with an average of 37 in ODI and 42.6 in Test. Also, he is the highest run-scorer for England in World cups as he aggregated 897 runs in just 21 innings with an average of 44.85

David Warner

David Warner holds the eighth position on this list as he completed his 11,000 International runs in 267 innings of international cricket. The Australian cricketer has always been a key member of the squad and makes sure to start the match in a great way by adding good runs to the scoreboard. With an average of 31.4 in T20, 45.4 in ODI, and 48.1 in test, he aggregated more than 15000 runs in his career till now.