Asia Cup: India revel in new opening pair of Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill

India’s captain Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill celebrate the win over Nepal in Kandy on Monday. Pic/AFP

Undoubtedly, the Indian team have healthy respect for the Pakistani team, especially their fast bowling trio. At every media interaction before an India-Pakistan clash, the two questions that regularly pop up are about Pakistan captain Babar Azam, the top-ranked ODI batsman, and about Shaheen Afridi, along with his new ball partner Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf. Be it captain Rohit Sharma, coach Rahul Dravid or Shubman Gill, all of them talk highly of the rivals despite palpable tensions between the two neighbours on every issue.

Shaheen, Naseem impressive

"There is no doubt that Shaheen is an excellent bowler and Naseem is equally impressive. However, it must be said that both have their own distinct qualities. While Shaheen swings the ball at high speed, Naseem can be dangerous on pitches where there is bounce. He is quite accurate. It's always a challenge to face up to them. But then, at the international level, we have to be ready for any challenge. We prepare both mentally and skill-wise to tackle any bowling attack,"
said Gill.

When he was asked how the batsmen prepare for Shaheen given that the Indian team has no left-arm pace bowler, Gill said: "Any cricketer playing at the international level always comes across left-arm seamers. It's not as if we are caught unaware. Besides, we have a left-handed throw-in expert against whom we bat for long periods in the nets. Facing up to three throw-down experts helps us prepare well before any match and it's no different before the match against Pakistan."

All the preparations and performances in recent matches have helped Gill jump to the No. 3 spot in the ODI rankings for batsmen, which is the highest for any current Indian player.

Also Read: First week of Asia Cup 2023: India's top-order debacle to Pakistan's deadly pace

The leap came after Gill's brilliant knock against Nepal in Pallekele, where he scored an unbeaten 67 in as many deliveries as India comfortably chased down the target with 10 wickets in hand. The rise in rankings has surely given Gill a lot of confidence before the match against Pakistan on Sunday.

He, along with Rohit Sharma, are crucial to India's batting plans. If they can give the team a good start, that would be half the battle won.

Gill emphasised the importance of ensuring a decent start. "That's the case against any opponent, let alone against Pakistan. Rohit and I complement each other as he is more prone to going over the top while I prefer to keep the strokes along the ground. We have now developed a good understanding and I am confident we will continue doing well not only in the Asia Cup but also in the World Cup."

Career-high rating for Gill

Gill has gained a career-high rating of 750 points. With less than a month for the World Cup, this augurs well for India.

His move on the rankings puts pressure on table-topper Babar Azam, who holds a significant lead with 882 points after his superb knock of 151 against Nepal in the Asia Cup opener.

Undoubtedly, Rohit and Gill's opening combination holds the key to India's success not only in the Asia Cup but also in the World Cup. The pair have three to four games in the ongoing Asia Cup, a tough three-match ODI series against Australia and then two warm-up matches before the start of the World Cup to get into top gear, both fitness and form-wise.

Babar had good words for his pace bowling duo. "Proud to have the fast bowlers that we have. One of the best [in the world]. Fast bowlers win you tournaments and matches and I have total belief in them. The line-up that we have including Naseem and Shaheen is our best. They have the belief and know how to bowl in partnership. They cover for each other if one is having a bad day. Even in batting and fielding we cover for each other. It is a team game. Important to stick together and we have benefitted from this," the Pakistani captain said on the eve of today's Super 4s match against India.