The power of youth: Welcome to Indian cricket's Gill-Jaiswal era

Young skipper and opener have stamped their class in Tests over the last 2 years

- Ashish Magotra

They've grown up in the public eye, stars of India's junior setup, marked for greatness at an early age and in India, where potential and reality interweave in strange ways sometimes, Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal have lived up to their billing as the next big things.

On Saturday, one might remember them for that horrible mix-up early on the second day of the West Indies Test. Jaiswal called for a quick, nonexistent single. Gill's eyes followed the ball and decided there was no run there. But by the time the skipper put his hand up, his partner had already come threefourths of the way. It was too late.

Still, by the time the Indian innings was declared on 518/5, two scores stood out. Jaiswal's 175 and Gill's 129 *. This is fast becoming a pattern. Two youngsters, 23 and 26 - one U-19 generation apart (Gill played in the 2018 U-19 World Cup and Jaiswal in 2020), are bossing it on the senior stage. Not to forget that Jaiswal grabbed the chance to debut as opener with a 171 on the 2023 West Indies tour after Gill dropped to No.3.

Over the last two years, Jaiswal, with 2,154 runs, is the leading scorer in Tests. Closely followed by England's Joe Root (2,127 runs) and Gill (1,860 runs). Centuries in three countries for Jaiswal in less than a year show that he is a player ready to adapt and persist. Meanwhile, Gill's tour of England, where he scored 754 runs at an average of 75.40, has showcased a hunger few cricketers possess, fewer still ever sate.