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Sanjay Manjrekar expects tough competition between Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal for India’s next ‘GOAT’ in the post-Kohli and Sharma era. Jaiswal excels in Tests, while Gill dominates ODIs.
Shubman Gill (L) and Yashasvi Jaiswal.
Sanjay Manjrekar is expecting tough competition between youngsters Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal for being crowned as India’s next ‘GOAT’ or Greatest of All Time in the post-Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma era.
While Jaiswal is India’s first-choice Test opener, Gill has that job in ODIs with the additional responsibility of vice-captaincy. Jaiswal hasn’t been given enough opportunities in white-ball cricket whereas Gill has admitted that he hasn’t made his Test chances count as much as he’d liked, with the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia being the most glaring example of his inability to unlock his full potential yet.
“Before the Australia series, Shubman Gill was my No. 1 choice alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal as India’s future hope. I think both of them will compete against each other, and we’ll see who prevails,” Manjrekar said on Star Sports’ Deep Point.
The ex-cricketer believes Jaiswal has shown all the ingredients to take the baton from Rohit and Kohli.
“People who have watched him closely think he’s one for the future. The way he’s started—scoring big runs—shows his hunger. He’s not just content with a hundred in Test cricket; he’s getting big hundreds. He has a greed for runs at the highest level. If you want him to play for a draw, he can do that too. He plays late, uses the back foot well, and is capable of scoring on foreign pitches. That’s the most important trait for a GOAT,” he added.
“Shubman Gill will continue dominating in white-ball cricket. We haven’t seen Yashasvi dominate outside Tests yet, but that world is there for him to capture. He has the ability, and he’ll show it when he gets the opportunity,” Manjrekar said.
Gill and Jaiswal are in India’s squad for three-match series against England which begins on Thursday in Nagpur.
Early signs say Jaiswal could be the one: Sanjay Bangar
Another former India cricketer, Sanjay Bangar said on the same show that Jaiswal ‘could be the one’ as per the ‘early signs’ from the two players’ careers so far.
“They’re in the same age group as Virat and Rohit were in 2013. Yashasvi is a little younger, but the difference is just a few years. They’ve both had remarkable starts in international cricket, so I think they’re the new-generation trendsetters of Indian cricket… The early signs indicate Yashasvi Jaiswal could be the one, provided fitness remains on his side. His temperament is solid. He’ll be one of India’s biggest run-scorers and match-winners in the future.”
