The Indian cricket team looks set for the Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill show over the next decade. Yashasvi looks like someone who can become the next big thing, given his prowess in First Class and T20 cricket. He had a dream Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 season. A fearless and young cricketer, Jaiswal has all the time and ingredients to become a mainstay in India’s team across formats. With Shubman Gill already becoming a key figure in India’s Test and ODI sides, Jaiswal can join hands, and the two look set as a formidable pair in terms of opening the batting.
With Rohit Sharma likely to retire and be phased out in the next 1-2 years, Jaiswal, who was called up to be a standby player for the World Test Championship final, will just need to keep impressing in the domestic circuit. A player of his potential and pedigree could become the front-runner to be an ideal replacement for Rohit as a multi-faceted all-format opener. With Gill and Jaiswal, India’s batting could get the desired shield. Gill looks set to be a prime figure in India’s T20 squad after a majestic IPL 2023 in which he scored the maximum number of runs. He is being touted as the next Virat Kohli for the next decade.
Here we analyse the stats and present key aspects of how these two can dominate the world stage in the next 10 years for India.
A dream IPL season for the duo
Gill was firepower in the recently concluded IPL 2023 season. He showed how T20 is also about placements, intelligence, and effective shot-making to succeed. Gill scored an impressive 890 runs in 17 matches, averaging 59.33. He smashed three hundreds and four fifties, striking at 157.80. On the other hand, Yashasvi showed his steel and authority by playing fearless cricket. He was the aggressor and gave his side fast starts. He scored 625 runs at 48.07 from 14 games for the Royals. Yashasvi managed one hundred and five fifties, striking at 163.61.
Their numbers in white-ball cricket
Gill has so far represented India in 24 ODIs, scoring 1311 runs at a terrific average of 65.55. He has already smashed four tons and five fifties. The right-handed batter has also played six T20Is for India, scoring 202 runs at 40.40. He has smashed one ton (126*). Meanwhile, Gill has managed 3575 runs in List A cricket at 52.57, hammering 10 tons and 16 fifties. In the game’s shortest format, he has managed 3669 runs at 37.82. He has five tons and 21 fifties.
On the other hand, Jaiswal has scored 1511 runs in List A cricket at 53.96. His tally includes five tons and 7 fifties. In 57 T20 games, he has also scored 1578 runs at 29.77. He has one ton and nine fifties, striking at 143.84.
How have the two fared in the longest format?
In the longest format, Gill has represented India in 15 Tests, scoring 890 runs at 34.23. He has two hundreds and four fifties, with the best of 128. In FC cricket, 3432 runs at a commanding 52.80. He has 10 tons and 16 fifties. Meanwhile, Yashasvi has scored 1845 runs in FC cricket at a terrific average of 80.21. He has nine tons and two fifties, with the best score of 265.
Conclusion!
India has earlier been graced by solid opening players in the form of Sachin Tendulkar/Sourav Ganguly in ODIs and Virender Sehwag/Gautam Gambhir in ODIs and Tests. Then there was Rohit and Shikhar Dhawan. However, India haven’t found the balance, especially in Tests, given several names were tried off late alongside Rohit. However, given the prowess of Gill and Jaiswal, if nurtured well, they can go on to dominate Test cricket, besides showcasing their strengths in the white-ball formats. With a settled opening duo across formats, India can benefit from understanding the offer these two can carry and bring it out on the cricket field.