Top 10 Openers with most runs in Tests

2. Sunil Gavaskar (India) – 9607 runs:

The first batsman in the history of Test cricket to score 10,000 runs nearly did it by just batting in the opener’s slot. Gavaskar is one of India’s earliest legends, as his resolute indifference to the fearsome West Indies was the stuff of legend. With an impeccable technique and oodles of concentration, Gavaskar wasted no time in becoming India’s best player of his era. He scored three centuries in his first series and finished with 774 runs, a record for a debut series. Powered by his 102, India chased down 403 against West Indies,

With an impeccable technique and oodles of concentration, Gavaskar wasted no time in becoming India’s best player of his era. He scored three centuries in his first series and finished with 774 runs, a record for a debut series. Powered by his 102, India chased down 403 against West Indies, the-then highest run chase in a Test. He scored three centuries in the second innings in a series, and then scored one in each innings, just to round it off. He repeated the feat a year later, and then scored a double-century in the fourth innings – still only one of five people to do so. He finished it off by carrying his bat for India in 1983 and then equalled the record for most centuries, and then passed it. He retired as India’s best batsman, and will continue as a legend in the annals of Test cricket.

He repeated the feat a year later, and then scored a double-century in the fourth innings – still only one of five people to do so. He finished it off by carrying his bat for India in 1983 and then equalled the record for most centuries, and then passed it. He retired as India’s best batsman, and will continue as a legend in the annals of Test cricket.