They’ve only opened together 28 times in this format, so the sample size is small. But in those innings they’ve put on 1943 runs at an average of
71.96. Only in ten of those
28 innings have they failed to get India to 50 for no loss or better. To this dependability, they have also braided in aggression. India travel at more than seven an over on average when these two are together.
Their numbers put this pair at the top of the all-time list for players that have opened together
at least 25 times in terms of average and
strike rate*, with daylight between themselves and the next-best pair (Jonny Bairstow and Jason Roy, who memorably helped deliver England the 2019 World Cup). Part of their effectiveness, Gill said on the eve of India’s match against Pakistan, was down to their varying but complementing methods.
“The way we play the game in the powerplay is quite different to each other,” Gill said. “Rohit bhai likes to play more aerial shots, and tries to hit those big sixes. And I like to play along the ground, and I like to pierce those gaps. In between, if I see the bowler is under pressure, I like to go over the circle. I think that’s the hallmark of us as a pair. We score boundaries with different shots. The bowlers really have to think which areas to target for us, because the areas we play the shots are different from each other.
“It’s a delight to watch [Rohit] from the non-striker’s end. He has his own style and if at all it helps me to find my own groove.”
Much of this was in evidence
on Thursday, when they put on 69 for the first wicket against Bangladesh, in the 9.5 overs they were together. Rohit’s rapid start had given Gill the space to play a more sedate innings, as he made 101 not out off 129 balls. The key stat for Rohit is the strike rate – he has gone at 120 in the four ODIs he’s played this year. Gill, meanwhile, has gone at less than a run-a-ball (strike rate 96.46 as opener in 2025). But he’s averaged a mammoth 136.50, scores of 112 and 60 preceding the latest hundred (to go with one score of 87 from No. 3).
Gill had had a rough time in the Tests in Australia, making a
top score of 31 in the five innings he played there during the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. But a return to his favourite format has led to a spectacular return to runs.
“I don’t think there was any flaw in my batting in Australia that I couldn’t score runs,” he said. “But, definitely, sometimes there is a mental aspect and we start focusing on the batting, which leads us to think there has to be some fault in the batting that the runs aren’t coming.
“But, I don’t think every time it has something to do with batting. It is possible, we are lacking in some other facet. I haven’t worked on any area in particular, but knowing I am going to play white-ball format now and then T20s, so I practised accordingly.”
This stats only includes games where overs-at-fall-of-wicket data is available.
