Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan lavished praise on the opening pair of Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma for their ferocious show at the top of the order in the Asia Cup. Having shared the field since their early days in Punjab, the childhood friends are now making their mark on the grand stage, with Abhishek riding a purple patch in his career. The right-left combination is doing wonders for India in the UAE, with back-to-back 70-run plus stands in the last two matches against Pakistan and Bangladesh.
Shubman returned to the T20I squad for the Asia Cup after sitting out the previous few series, as a packed schedule and the selectors’ focus on Tests and ODIs had kept him away. The right-handed batter was reinstated as the vice-captain of the T20I team, and he has a decent job with the bat so far. While playing second fiddle to Abhishek, he has been instrumental in building strong opening stands.
Pathan lauded the camaraderie between Abhishek and Shubman, highlighting how their understanding has developed into a valuable opening partnership.
"Abhishek and Shubman, their combination that has gotten set is praiseworthy because you need a batter who complements you at the other end. You repeatedly hear them when they speak, stitch a partnership, and explain things to each other, asking for a single to be taken after a four is hit," Pathan said on SonySports.
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“Shubman Gill-Abhishek Sharma combination is amazing”
However, the former all-rounder also pointed out a moment from the Bangladesh clash during the fourth over when Shubman told Abhishek after the fifth ball that 15 runs had already come off it, probably indicating to him to play a risk-free shot on the last ball. However, the left-handed batter didn't hold back and smashed Nasum Ahmed for a maximum.
{{/usCountry}}However, the former all-rounder also pointed out a moment from the Bangladesh clash during the fourth over when Shubman told Abhishek after the fifth ball that 15 runs had already come off it, probably indicating to him to play a risk-free shot on the last ball. However, the left-handed batter didn't hold back and smashed Nasum Ahmed for a maximum.
{{/usCountry}}"It's a different thing that they don't listen because it happened yesterday (Wednesday) as well. Shubman told Abhishek that 15 runs had come in the over and asked him to play the last ball carefully. He said yes, but hit the last ball for a six. So they try to explain things to each other, but this combination is amazing," he added.
Meanwhile, Abhishek is currently leading the run-charts in Asia Cup with 248 runs in five matches at an astonishing strike rate of 206.67. Shubman, however, hasn’t piled up the runs, managing 111 across five outings.