"All The Focus...": Shubman Gill Explains Why He Wants To Open With Rohit Sharma

Young Indian batter Shubman Gill feels his and skipper Rohit Sharma's contrasting batting styles make their opening partnerships successful. With India set to take part in the Asia Cup and the World Cup, the partnership between the two openers is likely to play a vital role in the Men in Blues' success in the two tournaments. In just nine innings, Gill and Rohit have amassed 685 runs while batting together in ODIs at an average of 76.11.

"I think because his (Rohit's) targeted areas are a bit different (to mine). He loves to go aerial in the Powerplay," Gill was quoted as saying by the 'ICC'.

"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," he added.

Talking about batting with Rohit, Gill said the skipper gives everyone the freedom to play their natural game.

"It feels great to be able to open with him, especially knowing that all the focus is on him," he said.

"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 added.

India begins their Asia Cup Campaign against arch-rivals Pakistan on September 2 in Kandy, while the Men in Blue are slated to take on Australia in their Word Cup opener on October 8 in Chennai.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)