Chopra also offered his assessment on Gill’s early stint as India's full-time ODI captain.
Ahead of the series opener, former cricketer-turned-commentator Aakash Chopra hailed Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma as the greatest opening pair in ODI cricket right now, highlighting their statistical dominance.
While Rohit takes on the primary aggressor role and dismantles bowling attacks early in the innings, Gill plays an ideal supporting role initially before taking over to anchor the middle overs securely. This tactical combination yields incredibly consistent scores, providing solid platforms for the Indian middle order.
“Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma’s opening partnership, it is right now the greatest pair in ODI cricket. We are talking about more than 2,000 runs. I am looking at the average. Theirs is 63.8, Jonny Bairstow and Jason Roy had an average of 58.4, Gordon Greenidge and Desmond Haynes had an average of 52.6, and Sourav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar had an average of 49.3,” Chopra said on his YouTube channel.
“They have scored 2,360 runs, and have 14 fifty-plus stands and seven century partnerships. So, this is the modern-day best opening combination in terms of the average. That actually is a good story,” he added.
“Rohit Sharma is only six runs away from becoming the first Indian opener to score 16,000 international runs. That is some legacy. He is only one century away from moving clear of Sachin Tendulkar for the second place on the all-time list of international hundreds as an opener. Rohit Sharma is at that stage of his career where he will keep creating or breaking records,” he further stated.
Aakash Chopra also offered his assessment on Shubman Gill’s early stint as India's full-time ODI captain. Under his leadership, the Men in Blue lost the three-match away series in Australia (2-1) in October 2025, followed by another 2-1 home series loss against New Zealand in January 2026.
“Shubman Gill has captained in six matches, and we have lost both series. We have won only two matches: one in Australia and one against New Zealand. So, Shubman Gill, as a captain in this format, hasn’t really settled down yet,” Chopra said.
“That’s a big story. You want to change that thing. You really want him to just stamp his authority, although he is not stopping with the bat. He has scored runs as a captain as well, and he will continue to score runs. Considering the kind of form he is in, you will look towards him to score runs,” he remarked.