Back in 2018, at the Under-19 World Cup semi-final, Pakistan’s Shaheen Afridi and his teammates had a taunt ready for Shubman Gill: “Our bowling isn’t Bangladesh”. Gill’s reply was a commanding hundred, sealed with a last-ball six and an animated celebration aimed squarely at Pakistan. His close friend Abhishek Sharma delivered the final word after the victory: “Our batting isn’t Pakistan either.”
Seven years later in Dubai, echoes of that teenage defiance resurfaced on Sunday. Gill and Abhishek, now teaming up in international cricket, tore into Afridi once again, this time in the Asia Cup Super 4 clash. Afridi’s two wicketless overs went for 24, while spinners Abrar Ahmed and Saim Ayub looked equally blunt against the duo’s controlled aggression. India ransacked 69 in the powerplay, and by the time Gill departed with the scoreboard already past 100 in 10 overs, Abhishek carried on, raising a 24-ball fifty and blowing a kiss to the crowd in celebration.
The fireworks were more than just shot-making, the partnership set the tone for India’s chase of a competitive 172 with Abhishek making up for the spilled chances earlier in the evening with a 39-ball 74 to floor the opposition.
“It’s just the way he is,” India’s T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav said of Abhishek at the post-match press conference.
“Abhishek is very selfless when it comes to his batting style. In the powerplay, he goes hard, but even after that he knows what’s required. He analyses situations, he’s learning every game. Most importantly, he never misses practice. Even if he doesn’t want to bat, he’ll be at the ground, doing something. If you keep working that hard, god always has plans for you.”
Gill’s more composed approach was equally impactful as the duo went on to put up the highest opening partnership of this edition of the continental showpiece.
“With Shubman, everyone knows what kind of player he is,” Suryakumar said. “The only thing I’ll say is he knows how to score runs. Today he backed his shots, took fewer risks, trusted his strokes. And that reverse sweep, I was really happy. He’s been working on it a lot,” the captain added.
For Suryakumar, the duo’s success is beyond their cricketing skills. “It’s really important to be very good friends off the field,” he explained. “When you open together, that bond matters. Sometimes you don’t have to say anything in the middle. Just a look is enough, to take a cheeky single, to complement each other if one’s flying or if one’s struggling. That friendship comes into the picture when they bat together.
“It’s like a fire and ice combination. They complement each other really well. And that’s what I want to see. If someone is batting brilliantly, the other can take the backseat and rotate the strike. It was required today to have a very good start. And they did (provide that),” said the skipper.