India Vs Pakistan, Asia Cup 2025: Abhishek-Gill Partnership Like 'Fire-And-Ice Combination', Says Suryakumar

India's T20 cricket captain Suryakumar Yadav described the partnership between opening batters Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill as a "fire-and-ice" combination. Their contrasting batting styles proved instrumental in India's six-wicket victory against arch rivals Pakistan in the Asia Cup 2025 Super Four game at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday, September 22.

The duo, best friends off the pitch, forged a crucial 105-run opening stand, easing India's tricky chase of 172 runs and establishing a strong start for the Men in Blue.

Contrasting Batting Styles Propel India's Chase

Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill use opposing batting techniques, making them a riveting duo in T20 cricket, skipper Suryakumar Yadav said. During India's chase against Pakistan, Abhishek scored a scintillating 74 runs from 39 balls, his first fifty in the tournament. Shubman Gill made a facile 47 runs from 28 balls, shrugging off the disappointment of an underwhelming league stage.

"It's like a fire-and-ice combination," Suryakumar Yadav told mediapersons. "They complement each other really well. And that's what I want to see." He observed that if one batter performs brilliantly, the other can take a "back-seat and rotate the strike".

"It was required today to have a very good start. And they did (provide that)," Suryakumar added after the victorious Super Four game.

Friendship Between Abhishek-Gill

Abhishek and Shubman have played together since their Punjab Under-12 days, knowing each other's game well and switching and swapping roles long before the opposition can figure out what is unfolding. Abhishek prefers the aerial route, while Shubman accurately bisects fielders. The former favours heavy hitting; Gill's go-to method is silken grace.

Gill looked superb against spin and was no doubt aided by Sharma having bowled an extensive spell of left-arm spin to him before the Pakistan game. Suryakumar Yadav believes off-field friendship strengthens on-field understanding. "It's really important to be very good friends off the field," SKY said. "When you open together, that bond matters."

He explained that sometimes "just a look" is enough for a "cheeky single", to bolster each other if one is "flying" or "struggling". "That friendship comes into play when they bat together," the skipper added.

If a net session obsession exists, these two can match each other. Abhishek and Gill are sure to be present even on optional days when no one else bothers. This devotion meant playing a full 40-over game against Oman in the sapping Abu Dhabi heat and taking a two-hour bus journey one way from Dubai. They returned to the ICC Academy the next day for another session to help each other.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, both stayed at Yuvraj Singh's house in Chandigarh, participated in net sessions together, and trained with the white-ball legend in his home gymnasium.

Suryakumar Applauds Openers

Suryakumar, a pioneer of innovative T20 hitting, analysed both batters, particularly Abhishek, who has grown by leaps and bounds in the past six to eight months. He posed the question, "So what has changed for Abhishek?" and responded, "It's just the way he is. Abhishek is very selfless when it comes to his batting style."

Yadav elaborated, "In the Powerplay, he goes hard, but even after that, he knows what is required. He analyses situations, he's learning from every game." Suryakumar stressed, "Most importantly, he never misses practice. Even if he doesn't want to bat, he'll be at the ground, doing something. If you keep working that hard, God always has plans for you."

Regarding Shubman Gill, Suryakumar observed that his deputy's unique quality is his innate sense of how to score runs with low-risk, high-reward cricket shots. "With Shubman, everyone knows what kind of player he is," Suryakumar said. "The only thing I'll say is he knows how to score runs. Today he backed his shots, took fewer risks, trusted his strokes."

The skipper added, "And that reverse sweep – I was really happy. He's been working on it a lot." What he did not say was how Abhishek bowled those extra deliveries in the net sessions to help Gill hone that stroke.

India will play their next Asia Cup 2025 Super 4 match against Bangladesh on September 24 in Dubai. Pakistan's next match is against Sri Lanka tomorrow, September 23.

(With PTI Inputs)