Shubman Gill Shares What Makes Him and Rohit Sharma a Formidable ODI Opening Pair

In the world of cricket, legendary opening pairs define an era. India has seen some iconic partnerships at the top, but the current duo of Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma is making a case for being one of the most dominant of all time. Their incredible numbers in ODIs reflect not only consistency but also a perfect blend of aggression and stability.

Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma: India’s Dynamic Opening Duo

Shubman Gill has established himself as a formidable force in white-ball cricket. His ability to time the ball exquisitely and pick gaps effortlessly has made him a dependable presence at the top. On the other hand, Rohit Sharma is a proven match-winner. His ability to explode in the later stages of an innings while maintaining a solid start is unparalleled. Together, they complement each other perfectly.

Look at Their Exceptional ODI Numbers

Shubman Gill boasts an impressive ODI average of 63.73 as an opener, while Rohit Sharma has a commendable average of 55.21. Together, they’ve amassed 1,943 runs in 28 innings, averaging 71.96. Remarkably, they’ve failed to get India to 50+ runs for no loss in only 10 out of those 28 innings. When batting together, they score at an impressive rate of over 7 runs per over.

Rohit Sharma enjoys taking on bowlers early, often playing aerial shots and maximizing the powerplay. Gill, on the other hand, prefers to build an innings with controlled aggression, piercing gaps rather than hitting over the top.

Gill stated, “The way we play the game in the powerplay is quite different to each other. Rohit bhai likes to play more aerial shots, and tries to hit those big sixes. And I like to play along the ground, and I like to pierce those gaps. In between, if I see the bowler is under pressure, I like to go over the circle. I think that’s the hallmark of us as a pair. We score boundaries with different shots. The bowlers really have to think which areas to target for us, because the areas we play the shots are different from each other. It’s a delight to watch [Rohit] from the non-striker’s end. He has his own style and if at all it helps me to find my own groove.”

How Their Partnership Stands Among the Greats

Rohit Sharma enjoys taking on bowlers early, often playing aerial shots and maximizing the powerplay. Gill, on the other hand, prefers to build an innings with controlled aggression, piercing gaps rather than hitting over the top. This duo currently sits at the top of the all-time list in terms of average and strike rate for opening pairs that have batted together at least 25 times. The closest competitors, Jonny Bairstow and Jason Roy, played a significant role in England’s 2019 World Cup triumph, but Gill-Rohit’s numbers are superior.

Gill’s Struggles in Tests and His Mental Resilience

Gill’s poor form in Test matches against Australia in 2024-25 was a setback. However, his approach to white-ball cricket remains unfazed, demonstrating mental toughness.

He expressed, “I don’t think there was any flaw in my batting in Australia that I couldn’t score runs. But, definitely, sometimes there is a mental aspect and we start focusing on the batting, which leads us to think there has to be some fault in the batting that the runs aren’t coming. But, I don’t think every time it has something to do with batting. It is possible, we are lacking in some other facet. I haven’t worked on any area in particular, but knowing I am going to play white-ball format now and then T20s, so I practised accordingly.”