'He Is Someone Who Likes Other Batters To Go...', Says Shubman Gill On His Successful Partnership With Rohit Sharma

Cricket World Cup: Young India batter Shubman Gill revealed the secret for his successful ODI partnership with Rohit Sharma, saying the skipper gives the players full freedom for how they want to express their game.

The pair compiled 685 runs at 76.11 in the nine instances batting together in the format. Taking out their only partnership together while not opening the batting, their average partnership jumps to 85.37.

The combination’s output will be no doubt important in India’s Cricket World Cup campaign as the side look to emulate their success in 2011.

"It feels great to be able to open with him, especially knowing that all the focus is on him. He's someone who likes the other batters to go and just express himself and play the way I want to play the game. So in that nature, he gives the players full freedom for how they want to express their game," Gill was quoted by ICC website.

The pair have passed fifty in six of eight opening stands, also putting on 143 against Sri Lanka in Guwahati, and 212 against New Zealand at Indore earlier in the year.

Having different plans of attack in their batting and different scoring strengths has proved fruitful, making life difficult for opposition bowlers and captains, forced to formulate different plans for each of them.

"I think because his (Rohit’s) targeted areas are a bit different (to mine). He loves to go aerial in the Powerplay,” Gill added when discussing their contrasting styles of play. And I'm someone who likes to find the gaps and keep getting those boundaries, and he’s someone who likes to hit sixes. So I think that combination works well,"

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The pair will link up at the Asia Cup in Sri Lanka before their home three-match ODI series against Australia to build into the World Cup. They then meet Australia again to begin their Cricket World Cup campaign in Chennai on October 8.