ENG vs IND | Rohit-Dhawan opening pair reaches another milestone

Starts are essential in cricket, whether bowling or batting, a good start always puts your team in front. The opening pair of Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma have been doing the same for India since they joined forces in 2013. Now, they have reached another milestone by becoming only the fourth pair to score 5000 runs in ODI cricket.

After taking over the reins from Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag, the duo was India’s first-choice opening pair for half a decade. 

The ICC Champions Trophy 2013 witnessed their arrival on the big stage, where they managed to score 540 runs in just five innings, marking the beginning of an era.

They also went on to play crucial roles in ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 and ICC Champions Trophy 2017. From 8 innings in the 2015 World Cup, the pair scored 742 runs helping India reach the semifinals.

They outperformed themselves in their second Champions Trophy as a pair, as they piled up 642 runs from 5 innings.

In the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019, India started with their most trusted pair, but Dhawan was out of the tournament due to an injury. After a few dry spells from Dhawan and injuries playing a role, India had to move on from this duo.

The 1st ODI between England and India have reunited the long-lost brothers for another stint. Dhawan has been called back to the side after continuously performing well in the IPL. 

With his focus clearly on the 2023 Cricket World Cup in India, this series will play a crucial role in securing his position in the squad.

The start was great as the pair sewed together an unbeaten partnership of 114 runs, their 18th-century partnership in ODI’s. Rohit (76 of 58) scored his 45th half-century, whereas Dhawan got 31 from 54 balls.

The milestone was achieved easily as they only required six runs to reach 5000 runs.

The other opening pairs to score 5000 runs in ODI are-

With this, they also became the only second Indian pair to do so, much quicker than the latter, as they reached the milestone in 112 innings.

After winning the 1st ODI by ten wickets, this pair would want to continue their good run in the next two matches.