“We make Smith and Kohli”, Assessing David Warner and Rohit Sharma's Influence at the Top of the Order

(Rohit Sharma and David Warner in the ODI World Cup 2019)

Overcast conditions, deadly bowlers, a green pitch, and a swinging new ball, such are the challenges faced by the openers of the team in cricket. The game might be ruled by the number 3 batters who are known to score big, but the real challenge is always faced by the opening batters who get to see the new ball moving. Two such players who have always made sure that they are doing their job perfectly are David Warner and Rohit Sharma. These two are termed as the “Best openers of the current Generation” because of the way they have played over the years and have dominated the bowling attacks coming to their shores.

Two Best Openers of this Generation: Rohit Sharma and David Warner

In an Instagram Live done by Rohit Sharma and David Warner, the fans saw how well both openers respected each other and the bond that they had. Moreover, in this a fan said that they aren't as worthy as Smith and Kohli and to this Warner replied by saying that “We make Smith and Kohli” which means that the openers have a tough job to do and after that, the number 3 player comes which makes the job easier for them. The modern era has seen some of the best openers like Hashim Amla, Brendon McCullum, Quinton de Kock, Martin Guptill and many more, but the two openers that stand out are David Warner and Rohit Sharma.

1. Rohit Sharma: The Hitman of Cricket

A young chubby boy from the streets of Nagpur and then going on to rule the Mumbai Cricket, it’s the story of Rohit Sharma who is now considered as one of the best openers of this generation. Being a middle-order batter in the early days of his career, Rohit Sharma was given the chance to open in the 2013 Champions Trophy by his captain MS Dhoni and it completely changed his fate. With 3 double centuries, 10000+ ODI runs, 5 T20 centuries and numerous other records, Rohit Sharma is hailed one of the best batters for the Indian team alongside Virat Kohli.

(Rohit Sharma after scoring a century in the 2023 ODI World Cup)

Furthermore, he was the highest run-scorer in the 2019 ODI World Cup and had 5 centuries to his name while in the 2023 ODI World Cup, he was the second-highest run-scorer with a strike rate of 125.94 and was the captain of the Indian team that went to the Finals of the tournament. With the attacking mindset and the habit of playing aggressively at the top, he has always been the batter on whom the Indian team has relied in the recent years.

2. David Warner: The Bull of Cricket

Australia has been one of the most dominant countries in cricket and it is because of the players that they have. One such player who has been excellent for them in the last few years is David Warner and he is the only player in the cricketing history of Australian cricket who played for the national side without having any prior experience in domestic cricket. Being the player who has scored second most centuries among the cricketers of the current generation, he has been the beast in all three formats of the game. Scoring 647 runs from 10 innings in the 2019 ODI World Cup and then getting the most runs for Australia in the 2023 ODI World Cup, David Warner has been a star of the game.

(David Warner during the 2023 ODI World Cup)

Moreover, he was the Man of the Tournament in the 2021 T20 World Cup where Australia registered their first T20 World Cup trophy and even in the 2023 World Test Championship Finals, he played a key role in the opening hour of the game. With over 18000 runs as an opener of the game, David Warner is ranked alongside Rohit Sharma as the best opener of this decade who has ruled the bowlers and the batting charts.

Who is the best in the Test format among these two openers?

Talking about the Test format, the openers have always been under the toughest conditions and with the bowlers fully loaded, it further makes it difficult for them to come out on the top. Giving a perfect start in the tough conditions is always an important thing for the team who is looking to post a big score and this is where the openers come out well. Their talent for scoring runs in pivotal moments has not just won them admiration but also sparked inspiration within their teams.

Among both the openers, David Warner remains as the better opener in the Test format because of the way he has played over the years for the Australian team. After making his debut in 2011, Warner made sure that the Australian team always came out at the top. After 112 test matches and scoring 26 centuries, he finally retired from the Test Format in January 2024 with 8687 runs to his name.

(David Warner and Rohit Sharma in the Test Format)

Name of the Player	Matches Played	Innings Played	Runs scored	Highest Score	Average	Strike Rate	Hundreds	Fifties
Rohit Sharma (India)	59	101	4137	212	45.46	57.05	12	17
David Warner (Australia)	112	205	8786	335*	44.59	70.19	26	37

(Career statistics of Rohit Sharma and David Warner in Test Cricket)

Talking about Rohit Sharma, he made his Test debut in 2013 and played in the middle order till 2019 because of his poor numbers. But during the South Africa series, Virat Kohli decided to make him an opener in the Test Format and it changed his career in the red-ball format. Currently, he is India’s top run-scorer in the World Test Championship history with 2552 runs in 32 matches played with 9 centuries to his name.

Finding the Supreme Opener in ODI Cricket

In the colourful landscape of cricket, the 50-overs format shines brightly, particularly during events such as the ICC ODI World Cup. It demands a versatile set of skills, with players needing a keen sense of timing and rhythm to excel. For this, the openers have played a crucial role for the teams in setting up the tone and giving the teams an excellent start for a big score. With both the openers being in excellent form during the 50-over World Cups, they both have surely got the results in their favour during the big tournaments.

Rohit Sharma takes the top spot as an ODI opener because of the runs that he has made in difficult conditions along with the way he has played in the ODI World Cups. Getting the top run-scorer tag in the 2019 ODI World Cup and playing selflessly in the 2023 ODI World Cup, Rohit Sharma is easily the best batter of the ODI World Cup and his record ultimately speaks for himself in the battle of all the openers out there.

(David Warner and Rohit Sharma in the ODI Format)

Name of the Player	Matches Played	Innings Played	Runs scored	Highest Score	Average	Strike Rate	Hundreds	Fifties
Rohit Sharma (India)	262	254	10709	264	49.12	91.97	31	55
David Warner (Australia)	161	159	6932	179	45.30	97.26	22	33

(Career statistics of Rohit Sharma and David Warner in ODI Cricket)

Seeing the career of David Warner in the ODI Format, he is just one step behind Rohit Sharma as he missed the tag of the top run-scorer in the 2019 ODI World Cup by just 1 run while in the 2023 ODI World Cup, he was the best player for the Australian team. Having close to 7000 runs in the ODI Format, he has been the player who has carried the Australian team to 2 ODI World Cups and hence his way of playing has been amazing for the team.

Decoding the Ultimate T20 Opener

In the ever-evolving landscape of cricket, the shortest format has emerged as a fan favourite, captivating audiences worldwide with its high-octane action and rapid run-scoring. T20 cricket epitomizes this thrilling spectacle, attracting players renowned for their ability to unleash explosive stroke play and clear the boundary with ease. The openers have played a major role in making it a success because of using powerplay overs to their needs and going big at every ball to give the team a lead in just the first 6 overs of the game.

Coming to the T20 format, both the openers are in for a tie because of the way they have performed over the years, Rohit Sharma has performed well in the T20 format for the Indian team in the bilateral series and has scored 5 centuries in this format along with having 3974 runs and is the second highest run scorer in the T20 cricket history. His way of approaching T20 cricket is completely different but his performances in the T20 World Cups have been average.

(David Warner and Rohit Sharma in the T20 Format)

Name of the Player	Matches Played	Innings Played	Runs scored	Highest Score	Average	Strike Rate	Hundreds	Fifties
Rohit Sharma (India)	151	143	3974	121*	31.79	139.97	5	29
David Warner (Australia)	103	103	3099	100*	33.68	142.67	1	26

(Career statistics of Rohit Sharma and David Warner in T20 Cricket)

In the T20 Cricket, David Warner has been the batter who has ruled the T20 Leagues along with the International format. He was the player who won Man of the Tournament in the 2021 T20 World Cup for the Australian team and even in the bilaterals, he has been at the top of his game which allows them to score maximum runs in the Powerplay overs.

Final Rankings

If the stats and previous records are to be believed, then we can say that both Rohit Sharma and David Warner have been the best openers of this generation and both of them have performed well according to the situations. In Test Cricket, David Warner has been the player who has come out at the top along with decent performance in the ODI cricket and is a beast in the T20 World Cups which makes him a player that the Australian team will always remember.

(David Warner and Rohit Sharma arguing on the field)

For Rohit Sharma, changing his approach at the age of 37 shows how committed and passionate he is about cricket. He has already proved his worth in the ODI and the T20 cricket while in Test Cricket, he is becoming one of the most dependable batters for the Indian team and hence will be now looking forward to keeping his form until he decides to retire from the game and finally end his career on a high note now.