"They remind me of Sourav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar going out together" - Robin Uthappa on Shubman Gill-Yashasvi Jaiswal opening pairing

Former India cricketer Robin Uthappa feels that the new T20I opening pair of Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal has shades of the iconic former duo of Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly. The dynamic youngsters have opened the innings together on several occasions and are close to cementing their spots despite the tough competition around them.

Gill and Jaiswal have emerged as the perfect left-right combination in the top order that Team India desired after Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli's T20I retirements. Opening the innings during the recent tours of Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka, the pair have handed the Men in Blue a positive start more often than not.

Jaiswal has been the prime aggressor, taking on bowlers from the word go. On the other hand, Gill has also ramped up his scoring and is doing his part to keep the momentum going in the powerplay. His ability to play in multiple gears came in handy during the third T20I against Sri Lanka on July 30, as he top-scored with a 37-ball 39, helping India put on 137 on the board.

“I do see them, when I look at them they remind me of Sourav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar going out together, where their games kind of complimented each other. Their strategies complimented each other, that’s what I see when I see these two go out to bat together,” said Uthappa on Sony Sports Network (via India Today).

Gill and Jaiswal have struck a chord in the short time that they have opened the batting together. Their partnership has resulted in 516 runs at an average of 64.50, with two century and two half-century stands, in nine innings.

"When Jaiswal gets that opportunity in ODI cricket, he will seal that spot so quickly" - Robin Uthappa

Jaiswal is also on the radar for being the long-term successor to Rohit Sharma at the top of the order in the ODI format. He has yet to make his ODI debut but is certainly in line, and Robin Uthappa cannot wait.

“I honestly feel when he (Jaiswal) gets that opportunity in ODI cricket, he will seal that spot so quickly because after Test cricket and T20I cricket, ODI cricket is going to be so much easier for him. Because he will feel like I have all the time in the world to be able to score runs,” Uthappa said on Sony Sports Network (via India Today).

Jaiswal does have an imperious List-A record. He has amassed 1511 runs in 32 innings at an average of 53.96, which includes five hundreds.