The opening pair of Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill starred with the bat in India’s convincing six-wicket victory over arch-rivals Pakistan in the Asia Cup 2025 Super 4 match at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday (September 21).
Sharma led the way with an explosive 74 off just 39 balls and a massive 105-run opening stand with Gill (47 off 28) as the Men in Blue chased down the competitive 172-run target with seven deliveries to spare.
The duo’s fearless approach at the top of the order earned them rich praise from former India cricketer Yograj Singh.
“Let me tell you a very simple thing. The way Shubman Gill and Abhishek are playing, even if you have 250 runs, you will chase, but these two will have to play for 15 overs," Yograj told IANS. “If Shubman and Abhishek play for 15 overs, then our target is 200 runs and after that you can score 300 or whatever. But I will only say one thing to Abhishek and Yuvraj has also said it many times. Try to play for 12 to 15 overs, that’s all."
Yograj stressed the importance of their partnership to India’s batting strategy. “Look at yesterday too, we scored 100 in 9 overs. In the 10th over, we were 105 when Shubman got out and soon Abhishek, too got out. So I think they have become very dependent on each other. Shubman has got bowled twice on the same line and length of the ball. So that’s a matter of concern, he should work on that."
Yograj also has a message to share for the modern-day cricketers, asking them to always remain a student of the game.
“You can never be bigger than the game. No matter how big a player you are. Your 100, 200, 300, 400, the brain of the player is not bigger than the game. You should be a student all the time. The more you are a student, the more successful you will be in life. So I think the Indian team will win. But it shouldn’t be like what happened yesterday. Because when the score was there, and when we got the match, it shouldn’t be like that. A player should play up to 20 overs," he remarked.
India find themselves on top of the Super 4s points table after the win over Pakistan, with their Net Run Rate currently at +0.689. Pakistan, on the other hand, are facing a must-win situation in the remaining Super 4 fixtures to stay alive in the tournament. They will take on Sri Lanka in their next match in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday (September 23).
