Photo by Wikimedia Commons, CC by 2.0
Cricket is the perfect balance between individual and team. For the batting side, it’s about individual skill; for the bowling side, it’s a team effort. But over the course of history, some batsmen have flipped the script, forming partnerships that have frustrated bowling teams and singlehandedly won matches.
We dive into the best cricket partnerships in history, breaking down the top duos across Test, ODIs and T20s. This is not just about sheer volume of runs: it’s about what these partnerships brought every time they combined on the pitch.
The Long Grind: Test Cricket’s Most Unbreakable Pairs
Test cricket demands physical stamina and immense mental grit. To bat together for hundreds of overs, a pair needs technical skill, sure, but mostly they need faith in the bloke at the other end.
Mahela Jayawardene & Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka)
If you want evidence of partnership perfection, look no further. Jayawardene and Sangakkara were more than teammates; they were best mates whose chemistry at the crease was bordering on telepathic.
The 6,554 runs they scored together was epitomised by their world-record 624-run stand against South Africa in 2006. Coming to the crease at 14/2, the duo batted for just shy of 10 hours, taking Sri Lanka’s score to 638/2 before Sangakkara fell for 287 (Jayawardene would go on to get 347, and they’d win the match by an innings and 152 runs).
They were the foundation for Sri Lankan cricket for well over a decade, helping the nation to some of their best achievements in the sport.
Rahul Dravid & VVS Laxman (India)
Forget raw numbers for a minute. Dravid and Laxman were more of an ambulance at the bottom of the cliff for Indian cricket. You call them when all hope is lost.
Similar to Sangakkara and Jayawardene, their defining act was a mammoth, Test-winning stand earlier this century. In 2001, India were following on against Australia at Eden Gardens. Dravid and Laxman batted for what felt like years, piling on 376 runs to not just save the Test, but win it.
It was the pair’s ability to win Tests from positions that even the best cricket betting sites didn’t expect which cemented them as one of the best cricket partnerships in history.
Matthew Hayden & Justin Langer (Australia)
The Australian team of the early 2000s was a monster, and this pair was its ferocious teeth.
Hayden was the towering, aggressive opener who’d stare down fastest bowlers; Langer was the tough, gritty scrapper. They were chalk and cheese, but they clicked, putting up 5,655 runs together over the better part of a decade.
As with any brilliant pair, their success was built around destroying the morale of the opposition opening bowlers, allowing the middle order to coast into a commanding position.
Jack Hobbs & Herbert Sutcliffe (England)
You didn’t think we were going to skip the pioneers, did you? Hobbs and Sutcliffe dominated the 1920-30s, especially on treacherous, rain-affected pitches. Together, they averaged an outrageous 87.81.
The thing is, this wasn’t down to massive bats or flat tracks. It was pure, unadulterated technical mastery that stood the test of time, allowing Hobbs and Sutcliffe to navigate conditions where others often looked lost.
White-Ball Wizards: ODI’s Most Valuable Pairs
In ODI cricket, a good partnership must adapt rapidly. It’s a mix of disciplined running, boundary hunting, and knowing exactly when to hit the accelerator.
Sachin Tendulkar & Sourav Ganguly (India)
Ask any Indian fan about ODI opening partners, and these two names will be the first you hear. For years, Tendulkar and Ganguly were the engine that drove India’s one-day team.
They hold the world record for the most runs by any ODI pair at a colossal 6,609 runs. But more than this, they were some of the first to master the early powerplay, with Ganguly’s graceful drives outside off-stump setting the scene for Tendulkar’s genius.
These two dictated the tempo of the match, allowing the rest of the batting order to simply follow the rhythm they established.
Gordon Greenidge & Desmond Haynes (West Indies)
Long before the modern era, Greenidge and Haynes set the definitive template for ODI opening success.
They were the dependable rock for that brilliant West Indies team of the 1980s, averaging over 52 across 102 innings. Playing with swagger and tactical brilliance, they too allowed the middle-order heavy hitters to play with total freedom.
Rohit Sharma & Virat Kohli (India)
While Tendulkar and Ganguly built the foundation, Rohit and Kohli moved India into the 21st century. Their success is rooted in their contrasting styles: Rohit’s deceptive, lazy power, and Kohli’s intense, running-between-the-wickets pressure.
They average around 60 when batting together. Watching them chase down 350+ totals is almost routine, with their distinct understanding of their roles cementing them among the best cricket partnerships in history.
The High-Octane Era: T20’s Best Cricket Partnerships
T20 partnerships are built on urgency and aggression. When one player is doing this it’s great. But two? That’ll end a match in five overs.
Mohammad Rizwan & Babar Azam (Pakistan)
This pair brought structure to the T20 format for Pakistan. Rizwan and Azam are often critiqued for being a bit slow, yet they own the record for the most century stands in T20I history.
Their 152-run unbroken stand against India in the 2021 World Cup was a masterclass in calculated risk, proving that consistency and classical stroke play can work even in the shortest format.
Virat Kohli & AB de Villiers (RCB – IPL)
Even though this was a franchise pairing, it’s one of the most explosive duos ever assembled. When “King Kohli” and “Mr. 360” linked up, the ground instantly felt too small.
Their 229-run effort against Gujarat Lions in 2016 featured 20 sixes and will go down in IPL history as one of the most outrageous passages of play. The sheer innovation and complementary aggression they showed remains unmatched.
Jos Buttler & Alex Hales (England)
These two provided the defining moment of England’s 2022 T20 World Cup win. Chasing 169 in the semi-final against India, they crushed the target in 16 overs without losing a wicket. Their philosophy is simple: pure, relentless attack from ball one.
Because both players share that boundary-first mindset, the pressure never, ever lets up on the bowlers. It’s for this reason why they are a phenomenal example of the best cricket partnerships in the short form.
