Suryakumar Yadav calls Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill a ‘fire-and-ice’ combo, reveals secret behind chemistry

India’s skipper Suryakumar Yadav praised the “fire-and-ice” combination of Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill. He called their contrasting styles a perfect mix in T20 cricket.

Sharma and Girl have been playing together since Punjab U-12 days. They share a deep understanding of each other’s game.

While Abhishek loves big aerial shots, Gill relies on timing and placement with ease. Their partnership was key during the Asia Cup 2025 clash against Pakistan. The 105-run opening partnership played the most important role as India chased 172 runs comfortably.

Abhishek started with a 6 off Shaheen Afridi in the very first ball. He’s made it a habit of hitting a boundary to open his innings in this tournament. Sharma hit his first 50 in the Asia Cup 2025, scoring 74 off 39 balls.

Shubman Gill was at his classical best as he supported the southpaw with a fluent 47 off 28 balls.

"It's like a fire-and-ice combination. They complement each other really well. And, that's what I want to see. If someone is batting brilliantly, the other can take the back seat and rotate the strike,” PTI quoted SKY as saying.

“It was required today to have a very good start. And, they did," the Indian captain added..

Suryakumar feels their friendship off the field helps them understand each other well on the field. In fact, Abhishek and Shubman share their birthdays only a few days apart. Sharma cuts the cake on September 4 while Gill celebrates it on September 8.

Secret behind chemistry

"It's really important to be very good friends off the field. When you open together, that bond matters. Sometimes, you don't have to say anything in the middle," Surya said.

"Just a look is enough to take a cheeky single, to complement each other if one's flying or if one's struggling. That friendship comes into the picture when they bat together," Yadav added.

Abhishek and Gill are sure to be present even on optional days when no one else bothers. Even if that meant playing a full 40-over game against Oman in the sapping Abu Dhabi heat, taking a two-hour bus journey one way from Dubai and returning to the ICC Academy for a session the next day to help each other.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, both stayed at Yuvraj Singh's house in Chandigarh, would do nets together and train with the white ball legend in his home gymnasium.

(With PTI inputs)