The competition level among Indian openers is at the next level. India may face shortage in the areas of finishers and pace-bowling all-rounders, but the one category where the nation has an abundance of talent at the moment is the opening department in the batting unit.
Almost every state has top-quality openers in India at the moment. Hence, to become one of the two Indian openers who open the innings for the team in Test cricket is a matter of pride. Over the years, there have been some great Indian openers like Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Murali Vijay, Shikhar Dhawan and several others.
However, not all Indian openers have been able to perform consistently for the team. In this listicle now, we will look at the four openers who ended a calendar year with the worst batting average. Please note that batters who opened the innings at least 4 times since the year 2000 have been considered.
(Credit: Shebas)
4. Wasim Jaffer – 17.33
Former Indian cricketer Wasim Jaffer had a batting average of 17.33 in the year 2008. Jaffer did not get opportunities after that year even though he scored heaps of runs in domestic cricket.
3. KL Rahul – 17.12
Current Indian vice-captain KL Rahul has bagged the third position in this list after a batting average of 17.12 in Tests played in 2022. It will be interesting to see how many chances Rahul gets in the future matches.
2. Mayank Agarwal – 16.62
KL Rahul’s Karnataka teammate Mayank Agarwal had a forgettable year in Test cricket in 2020. Opening the innings for India, Agarwal only had a batting average of 16.62. He lost his place in the Test team soon.
1. Aakash Chopra – 12.55
Popular commentator and analyst Aakash Chopra owns the record for the worst batting average by an Indian opener in a calendar year. Back in the year 2004, Chopra had a batting average of 12.55.
