Gill-Sudharsan finest batting pair in IPL: Raina
Former India cricketer Suresh Raina has rated Gujarat Titans openers Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan as the finest batting pair in the history of IPL and lauded the duo’s “remarkable” consistency.
Gill and Sudharsan have formed one of IPL’s most prolific opening partnerships.
After a stellar last season, Gill and Sudharsan continued their record-breaking run in IPL 2026. The GT opening pair entered an elite list in T20 cricket history, registering their 10th century stand together, equalling the record jointly held by the legendary pairs of Chris Gayle-Virat Kohli, Babar Azam-Mohammad Rizwan and AB de Villiers-Kohli.
“Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan are the finest batting pair in the history of TATA IPL. In 46 innings together, they have put up 21 partnerships of 50 runs or more,” Raina said on JioHotstar’s ‘Champions Waali Commentary’.
“The next best pair is Chris Gayle and Virat Kohli, followed by AB de Villiers and Kohli in third place. This shows the quality of Gill and Sai. They complement each other’s game very well. What stands out is that they have reached 21 fifty-plus stands in just 46 innings - the fastest in IPL history. Gayle and Kohli took 59 innings to get there, while ABD and Kohli needed 76 innings.”
Hailing the duo’s consistency upfront, Raina said what stands out is their game awareness.
“The consistency of Gill and Sudharsan as an opening pair is remarkable. They take time to build their innings, keep dot balls to a minimum, and complement each other’s game perfectly. They pick the right bowlers to target. One uses the pace of the bowler, while the other uses the angle to create room for his shots.
“Both are extremely fit, and their game awareness stands out. They know which shots to play and when to attack. The biggest strength is how consistently they score runs. No other batting pair in the IPL this season has matched their level of consistency,” he noted.
Former India pacer Umesh Yadav too was full of praise for Gill-Sudharsan pair.
“We’ve seen how well these two batters handle the powerplay. They don’t go for high-risk shots. They bat so smoothly that you feel the runs aren’t coming,” he said.
“But when the powerplay ends, you suddenly notice they’ve already put 60 on the board. That’s their class. They play according to their strengths and according to the nature of the pitch.”
