24 August,2023 08:15 AM IST | New Delhi | PTI
India captain Rohit Sharma (left) and Shubman Gill at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados, last month. Pic/AFP
Young Indian batter Shubman Gill feels his and skipper Rohit Sharma's contrasting batting styles make their opening partnerships successful. With India set to take part in the Asia Cup and the World Cup, the partnership between the two openers is likely to play a vital role in the Men in Blues' success in the two tournaments.
In just nine innings, Gill and Rohit have amassed 685 runs while batting together in ODIs at an average of 76.11. "I think because his [Rohit's] targeted areas are a bit different [to mine]. He loves to go aerial in the Powerplay," Gill was quoted as saying by the ICC.
"And I'm someone who likes to find the gaps and keep getting those boundaries, and he's someone who likes to hit sixes. So I think that combination works well," he added. Talking about batting with Rohit, Gill said the skipper gives everyone the freedom to play their natural game.
"It feels great to be able to open with him, especially knowing that all the focus is on him," he said. "He's someone who likes the other batters to go and just express himself and play the way I want to play the game. So in that nature, he gives the players full freedom for how they want to express their game," Gill added.
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India begins their Asia Cup campaign against arch-rivals Pakistan on September 2 in Kandy, while the Men in Blue are slated to take on Australia in their Word Cup opener on October 8 in Chennai. Meanwhile, India will play two official warm-up matches against England and the Netherlands, ahead of their ODI World Cup opener against Australia, the ICC said on Wednesday.
The two-time winners India will face defending champion England in the first warm-up game on September 30 at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati, after which they will travel to Thiruvananthapuram to face the Netherlands on October 3.
The toss of the third T20 between India and Ireland in Dublin on Wednesday was delayed due to rain. India lead the three-match series 2-0. Before start of play, the Jasprit Bumrah-led young side was seen celebrating Chandrayaan-3's successful landing on moon's south pole, making India the first nation to do so.
India batter Shubman Gill on Wednesday moved up one spot to reach the fourth position in ICC rankings for batters in ODI cricket, while pacer Jasprit Bumrah and spinner Ravi Bishnoi also made gains in the shortest format. In the latest ODI rankings released by the ICC after the first ODI between Pakistan and Afghanistan, Gill has now got 743 rating points and is placed as India's top-ranked batter.
Comeback man Bumrah, India's captain for Ireland series, moved up seven places to reach the 84th position, Bishnoi has jumped 17 spots to reach 65th. Following his 58 in the second T20I against Ireland, Ruturaj Gaikwad moved up 143 places to reach the 87th position. Despite missing the Ireland series, Suryakumar Yadav remains on the top spot in the T20I rankings for batters.
In ODIs, while Pakistan's Babar Azam and Imam Ul Haq occupy the first and third spots respectively, there has been no change for Indian mainstays Virat Kohli (ninth) and captain Rohit Sharma (11th). In Tests, Indian spin duo of R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja are World's No 1 bowler and all-rounder, respectively.
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