Gill & Jaiswal — India’s new star batting duo lighting up the pitch

With Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma announcing their retirement ahead of the Test series in England, Indian cricket fans were left with a mix of nostalgia, admiration, and concern. The departure of two modern-day greats marked the end of an era, prompting inevitable questions about who would step up to fill the massive void in the Indian Test side.

However, India is a cricket-obsessed nation with a massive pool of talent; staying short of promising prospects for long is a rarity. Over the past few years, two young batters have emerged with the technique, temperament, and hunger needed to take Indian cricket forward. Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill have shown that they possess the potential to carry the torch left behind by the legendary duo of Kohli and Sharma, offering hope that the future of Indian cricket is in safe hands.

Let’s take a look at their beginnings, stats, styles of play, and speculate whether they are the true successors to Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.

Also read: Can Akash Deep’s ten-wicket haul at Edgbaston cement his spot in India’s Test line-up?

Cricket beginnings 

Yashasvi Jaiswal 

Yashasvi Jaiswal’s cricketing journey has been one of struggle, sacrifice, and perseverance to succeed against all odds. A left-handed batter, he left home — a small town in Uttar Pradesh — at the age of 12, moving to Mumbai to pursue his cricketing dream.

Jaiswal had to struggle to make ends meet but continued to work hard. His breakthrough arrived in 2019 in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, where he amassed massive runs, scoring two centuries and a double century. His run fest came to an end only when Mumbai were knocked out of the competition. He was then selected for the India U19 national team for the U19 World Cup, where he shone and was awarded the Player of the Tournament award as India finished as runners-up. 

The U19 performances took his name into the Indian Premier League auction ahead of the 2020 season, where he was picked up by the Rajasthan Royals for INR 2.4 crore. His IPL performances, coupled with success in domestic cricket, propelled him into India’s Test and T20I sides. He has now represented the country in all three formats.

Shubman Gill

Shubman Gill didn’t have to struggle on personal or financial levels like Jaiswal did. He came from a supportive family, who wanted him to focus on cricket. 

Gill came into the limelight when he was made the vice-captain of the India U19 side for the 2018 U19 World Cup, just after his first-class debut. He was awarded the Player of the Tournament award at the World Cup, also scoring a century against Pakistan in the semi-finals. Based on these exploits, he was picked up in the 2018 IPL auction by the Kolkata Knight Riders for INR 1.8 crore. 

Gill made his ODI debut in 2019, but it was the Border–Gavaskar Trophy in Australia where his performances left fans impressed around the world. He became the youngest player to score an ODI double century, scoring 208 off 149 balls against New Zealand. He scored over 350 runs in India’s run to the 2023 World Cup final and was also part of the 2025 Champions Trophy-winning squad.

Career stats and styles of play 

Here we take a look at their stats in international cricket so far:

From the stats above, we can conclude that both batters have had a superb start to their Test careers. Gill has played regularly in all formats and boasts an enviable ODI record. Jaiswal has a double hundred in Tests, but Gill has scored double centuries in both Tests and ODIs. Both batters have also done reasonably well in T20Is. While Jaiswal is an opening batter in all formats, Gill opens in ODIs but comes down the order in Tests and T20Is. 

Jaiswal is a fearless batter with an aggressive approach regardless of the format. He likes to dominate bowlers and prefers to hit cuts, sweeps, drives and pull shots, with the straight drive being his favourite. With more experience and time, he has added consistency to his game. In him, Team India have found a talented and ambitious young batter capable of scoring against any opposition. Jaiswal also became the fastest Indian to reach 2,000 Test runs, surpassing the great Sunil Gavaskar, who achieved the milestone in 23 matches compared to Jaiswal’s 21. 

As for Gill, he has transformed into a consistent and stylish batter over the past two years. Gill starts his innings tentatively, but once set, he takes the attack to the opposition. His performances declined in Tests after the recent Australia series, but he has found a purple patch in the ongoing Anderson–Tendulkar series in England, having already compiled a mammoth 585 runs in just two Tests. He likes to play drives and pulls along with his trademark short-arm jab shot. He is also very effective against spinners.

Conclusion 

While it may be premature to draw direct comparisons with legends like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill are undoubtedly on the path to cricketing greatness. Both are delightful to watch and have showcased impressive technique and temperament.

With the added benefit of regularly facing top-tier international bowlers in the IPL, both Gill and Jaiswal have developed the poise and experience needed to succeed at the highest level. Notably, they’ve also proven their mettle not just on familiar Subcontinental pitches, but in overseas conditions as well.

In the Test format, Jaiswal has seamlessly slotted into the opener’s role in place of Rohit Sharma, while Gill has taken on the monumental task of batting at No. 4 — a position once owned by Virat Kohli. These are massive shoes to fill, but both players have shown remarkable composure and maturity in embracing the responsibility. If they can continue to build consistency and thrive under pressure, the sky is truly the limit.

Jaiswal and Gill aren’t just the future of Indian cricket, but also have the potential to dominate batting charts around the world.