Shubman Gill fought with Abhishek Sharma when he was batting on 80-90: 'Scored a lot of runs. But whenever he asked…'

Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma go back a long way, but during their Under-16 days, the two had a 'fight' over something that today is too trivial.

Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma may be star cricketers now, but they, too, like the countless before them, come from humble beginnings. Gill and Sharma gutted it out in the domestic circuit for Punjab before breaking into the Indian Under-19 team. Together, they won the World Cup in 2018 in Mount Maunganui before finally being rewarded with an India cap. The 2018 U-19 World Cup-winning team gave Indian cricket quite a few names – Prithvi Shaw, Riyan Parag and Arshdeep Singh being the other notable names – and while Gill debuted for India a lot before Abhishek, in 2019 against New Zealand, the two are now making heads turn with every passing tournament.

Shubman Gill, left, and Abhishek Sharma(JioHotstar/PTI)

While Gill has escalated to become one of the contenders for India's next Test captain, Abhishek has cemented his place in India's T20I squad. In 17 matches, Abhishek has smashed 535 runs, including two centuries – one of which he plundered against Zimbabwe in just his second T20I game – and a strike rate boasting 193.84. Whichever Playing XI India goes ahead with at next year's T20 World Cup at home, Abhishek is a guaranteed starter at the top of the order. His partner could well be Gill, now that Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have retired, but Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan are equally in the mix.

Gill and Abhishek have plenty of history, dating back to their Under-16 days, when the two once had a bit of a tussle regarding something extremely trivial – at least that's how they would like to look back on it.

"It actually started back in our U-16 days. Abhishek began playing with my bat — there’s a story behind it. He was batting on 80 or 90 runs using my match bat, and I didn’t want it to break, so I asked him to return it. We ended up having a bit of a fight over that! But whenever he asked for my bat, I always gave it to him — and he scored a lot of runs with it," Gil said on the Gen Bold episode of JioHotstar.

Abhishek isn't the only partnership Gill has thrived in. In the ongoing edition of the IPL 2025, the pair of Gill and Sai Sudharsan has wreaked havoc on the opposition. It is no surprise that GT are right at the top of the points table, becoming the first team to qualify for the Playoffs, and none of it would have been possible without the dynamic opening duo. Sudharsan, 23, in particular, has been a revelation, amassing 617 runs, followed by Gill at 2 with 601.

Shubman Gill on his partnerships with Sai Sudharsan

"I think the way we bat is not exactly similar, but the left-right combination helps. We both run very well between the wickets, and we’re the kind of players who like to outsmart the opponent – including the bowlers. In T20 cricket, especially with the introduction of the Impact Player rule, that skill of outsmarting the opposition has declined a bit. But I think our team still does it really well. It's easy to swing freely on good cement wickets, but real skill lies in reading conditions, assessing the situation, and consistently putting up fighting totals – that, I believe, is the key to our success," Gill said.

Teams are increasingly posting scores of 250-260, reflecting a shift in their approach to games. However, this season's broader trend shows that not every match results in high-scoring 230-240 run chases. Many games still see totals around 180-190. For GT, the focus isn't on chasing an arbitrary 300-run mark. Instead, they assess the wicket and situation carefully. If a pitch supports a 250-plus total and GT believe it's achievable, their batters go for it. This adaptability to varying conditions and challenges is one of GT's greatest strengths.