Could Yashasvi Jaiswal and Abhishek Sharma be the modern Hayden-Gilchrist pair?

Yashasvi Jaiswal and Abhishek Sharma. (Photo source: Getty Images and BCCI)

Yashasvi Jaiswal and Abhishek Sharma are two of the most destructive opening batters in Indian cricket at the moment. While Jaiswal has cemented his spot in the red-ball arena with consistent performances, Abhishek has mesmerised fans with his fearless batting approach in the shortest format.

Yashasvi started his international career in 2023 in the West Indies. Since then, he has played 26 Tests, one ODI, and 23 T20Is. On the other hand, Abhishek made his India debut in 2024 and has played 27 T20Is so far. He hasn't received his maiden Test and ODI caps so far.

Yashasvi Jaiswal and Abhishek Sharma's T20I stats:

Player	Innings	Runs	Average	Strike Rate	50s/100s
Yashasvi Jaiswal	22	723	36.15	164.32	5/1
Abhishek Sharma	26	961	36.96	192.20	6/2

Yashasvi Jaiswal and Abhishek Sharma's IPL stats:

Player	Innings	Runs	Average	Strike Rate	50s/100s
Yashasvi Jaiswal	66	2166	34.38	152.86	15/2
Abhishek Sharma	74	1815	27.09	162.93	9/1

So it is understandable from the above tables that Yashasvi and Abhishek can wreak havoc on their day again. They have all the shots in the book and can even play the anchor's role when required whilst batting at commendable strike rates. However, Indian fans are having to wait to watch this duo batting togehter.

Abhishek has not been considered by the selectors for the two other formats of the game, but cricket enthusiasts have urged the selectors to pick him in the ODI squad after his Player of the Tournament performance in September's Asia Cup.

On the other hand, Yashasvi has not been able to play ODIs or T20Is on a consistent basis for different reasons. The selectors rested him for a few T20I series but he was always there and thereabouts. Even in India's triumphant T20 World Cup campaign last year, Yashasvi was the reserve opener in the squad. However, the Mumbai batter did not get a game and his last T20I appearance was against Sri Lanka last year in July.

Shubman Gill's return to the squad during the Asia Cup 2025 and subsequent appointment as vice-captain has made Yashasvi's return difficult. However, he is just 23 years and he has plenty of time left in his career to forge a comeback.

Can Yashasvi Jaiswal and Abhishek Sharma become the next great duo like Hayden and Gilchrist?

Matthew Hayden and Adam Gilchrist are two former opening batters for Australia in white-ball cricket. They won the Men in Yellow many accolades during their time together as opener. Hayden and Gilchrist took the attack to the opposition bowlers and helped Australia get themselves ahead of the game more often than not inside the powerplay.

While Yashasvi and Abhishek cannot be compared to these iconic batters just yet, they certainly have the potential to display the same ruthlessness as the former Australia duo.