Former India batter Robin Uthappa showered immense praise on Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal after the duo registered a fantastic opening partnership during the Men in Blue's commanding nine-wicket win against West Indies in the 4th T20I on August 12 (Saturday). Gill and Jaiswal forged a 165-run alliance in just 15.3 overs as they decimated Windies bowlers with utmost ease. After the duo's heroics, Uthappa touted their partnership to excel for India in a similar fashion as once displayed by Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly.
"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," Robin Uthappa said on Jio Cinema after the match.
"They need to figure a few things out and if they do, they will do great things for India," he further added.
While it is still early days for the Gill-Jaiswal partnership, the duo has the potential and talent to represent India at the highest level for a long time. On Saturday, Gill and Jaiswal opened for India for just the second time in international cricket. With time, their numbers are bound to get better.
The bar set by Sachin and Ganguly is so drastic and it might seem even out of reach. The two Indian legends scored 12,400 runs in 247 innings together in international cricket. They registered 38 100+ partnerships and 45 50+ alliances.
Meanwhile, Gill and Jaiswal also broke multiple records after stitching an attractive partnership. The 165-run partnership was the highest opening partnership against West Indies in the format. The previous best belonged to Pakistan's Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan who shared a 158-run opening stand in Karachi in 2021.
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