Who said what - Top 5 expert reactions to Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill's partnership vs West Indies
Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill's record-breaking and eye-catching partnership set many things rolling for India on Saturday.
The duo scored 165 runs together, the joint-highest opening partnership for India in T20Is, but what mattered more was that they scored 66 of those runs in the powerplay. It was the kind of pace and intent that the team hadn't seen in a long time.
Gill took his time early on to settle, while Jaiswal teed off fearlessly. The former got his eye in soon after and matched his partner for pace. Gill got out for 77 in the 16th over of the 179-run chase, while Jaiswal remained unbeaten on 84. Both players finished with a strike rate of more than 160.
The partnership provided assurances that the IPL is still producing young players of high quality who are ready for India's modern needs, a change from its recent image. And though it's still early days, it also gave hope that the transition from the Rohit Sharma-Virat Kohli-Shikhar Dhawan era of T20 openers will be smooth.
Many experts and pundits felt the same while giving a variety of views on the partnership. Here are the top five since the conclusion of the match:
"Can be something as great as a Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly" - Robin Uthappa
The highest praise came from former India international Robin Uthappa, who adopted Jaiswal and Gill's style of batting quite early. He compared their camaraderie with Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly, who are the successful ODI partnership ever with 8227 runs between them, including 26 century stands.
"Everyone who plays for India are equally capable and have equal ability but the way Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill bat in tandem; they can bat for each other as well and they need to find that space. If they do, they are going to be a very dangerous pair for India in years to come. It will be a hot pair and they can be something as great as a Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly opening the batting," Uthappa told Jio Cinema.
Uthappa added that the two young players still have a "few things to figure out" but are capable of doing "great things" in the future.
"The young Indian batters don’t have to ‘adjust’ to T20s" - Sanjay Manjrekar
Another feature of the partnership was that neither Gill nor Jaiswal tried to reign in their run-scoring when they were closing in on 50. Instead, they got more aggressive.
While it's also a testament to the team management's backing of them, former cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar suggested that it's because these players have come through a lot of T20 grind from an early age.
"The young Ind batters don’t have to ‘adjust’ to T20s," Manjrekar tweeted. "They are naturals at it. Stay in the moment, see the ball hit the ball. No worrying about getting out, no long terms plans of getting a 50 or a 100. That’s perfect T20 approach! Well done Gill & Jaiswal!"
India's teams under Kohli and Rohit, as well as in the second half of MS Dhoni's captaincy, were often criticized for having batters that were too ODI-minded and focused on innings-building instead of all-out attack.
Jaiswal was fearless, Gill overtook him once he got going: Wasim Jaffer
Former India opener Wasim Jaffer praised Jaiswal and Gill's contrasting qualities. He was pleased to see Jaiswal's fearlessness despite getting out off his second ball in the previous match, as well as Gill's ability to make up for his slow start at will.
"His (Jaiswal's) fearlessness stood out the most for me," Jaffer told ESPNCricinfo. "Even after failing in the first game, he came out and batted in a similar fashion. Sometimes a failure can make you a little defensive, and that was not the case. In this format, there is no place for that. He came out all guns blazing again."
"Shubman likes to take his time. But once he gets going, he kind of overtook Yashasvi after that. The pitch was very good to bat on and they both capitalised on it," he added.
Jaffer also admitted that India lacked Jaiswal's fearlessness at times in T20 cricket.
Don't question Gill after a couple of failures, Jaiswal will serve India in all 3 formats: Parthiv Patel
Former India wicketkeeper-batter Parthiv Patel was also lavish in his praise for the young openers. He called criticism aimed at Gill after the recent lean patch (he had single-digit scores in the previous three T20Is) premature before labeling Jaiswal as a future all-format player.
"Shubman Gill was outstanding today," Patel told Cricbuzz. "We know the potential of Shubman Gill; we have the tendency of questioning someone who doesn’t get runs. After just a couple of performances here and there, we should not say he can’t play T20s or he can’t play ODIs."
“He was fearless; there was no doubt about the shot selection," he added. "The reverse-sweep six off Akeal Hosein shows the frame of mind he is in. It doesn’t matter [to him] how he gets out. He was on top of his game. Jaiswal is the player for the future and he will probably serve India in all three formats for a long time.”
Gill is already close to establishing himself in all three formats and will likely be a part of the 2023 World Cup team.
Jaiswal, on the other hand, scored a brilliant, patient hundred on his Test debut last month. Although he hasn't been seen as an ODI player yet, he has excellent List A numbers: 1511 runs at an average of 53.96 and a strike rate of 86.19.
Jaiswal is a future superstar, important runs for Gill: Aakash Chopra
Cricketer-turned-pundit Aakash Chopra backed Patel by calling Jaiswal an all-format player and a future superstar.
"The way the player plays, the intent and ability he has, we are seeing a future superstar," he said on his YouTube channel. "He is not a star but a superstar. You will see him representing India in all three formats and doing very well."
He also picked the left-hander as his Player of the Match in India's win.
For Gill, Chopra said the right-hander has been criticised for only scoring runs on a flat track, but claimed that performing at your best when the conditions are optimal is a skill in itself. He added that players like Kohli and Ravichandran Ashwin also possess that ability.
"He started slowly, wasn't too aggressive. Then he saw an over from Odean Smith, realized he is a bowler to his liking, and ran after him. Then he was farming the strike. Important runs because the truth is that the stats were not looking very good."
India and West Indies will lock horns in the deciding T20I on Sunday in Lauderhill, starting at 8:00 PM IST.