As Indian cricket enters a new era following the retirements of batting giants Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, the duty has shifted to the youthful players Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal. These two stars are more than simply the faces of India’s future generation; they also represent the team’s long-term goals, particularly in Test cricket. With the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27 cycle underway, their form and performances will be critical to India’s quest for a crown in red-ball cricket.
Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal played Test cricket.
Both hitters have had strong starts to their Test careers. Gill, who made his debut in the historic 2020-21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia, has played 33 Tests, scoring 2046 runs at an average of 37.20 with six hundreds and seven fifties. On the other side, Jaiswal, who made his Test debut against the West Indies in 2023, has already scored 1903 runs in just 20 Tests at an amazing average of 52.86, including five hundreds and ten half centuries.
Shubman Gill vs Yashasvi Jaiswal comparison in international test cricket
Gill has had decent success overseas, scoring 869 runs in 30 innings at an average of 32.18, including two hundreds and two fifties. However, Jaiswal has also been great. In ten overseas Tests, he has scored 812 runs at an average of 45.11, including three century in his debut matches in the West Indies, Australia, and now England.
Both players got off to a good start in the opening Test of England’s 2025 trip at Headingley. Jaiswal scored 101 runs off 159 balls, including 16 boundaries and a six. Gill scored 147 on his red-ball captaincy debut and took the lead from the start.
Notably, Jaiswal is the first Indian hitter to record hundreds in his debut Tests in the West Indies, Australia, and England, three of the most difficult locations for subcontinent batsmen. With 15 50-plus scores in just 19 innings, he has been an impressive performer to watch.
India’s dominance in Test cricket
India’s performances in Test cricket over the past decade, two series wins in Australia (2018-19, 2020-21), a series draw in England (2021) and South Africa (1-1), and a strong record at home until New Zealand’s 3-0 whitewash in late 2024. With Rohit and Kohli’s retirements, the responsibility of maintaining and building upon that legacy now falls the young duo, which is capable enough to don the bigger roles now.
Their performances in the previous WTC cycle were impressive. Gill scored 972 runs in 16 matches, including twin hundreds in the 2024 home series against England, while Jaiswal began 2024 with 712 runs in the same series against the English side. He finished the WTC cycle as the second-highest run-getter with 1798 runs, just behind Joe Root’s 1968 runs.
Conclusion
While comparisons are certain in this sport and generation, both of them have had their shares of success and disappointments. Seeing just by numbers, Jaiswal currently has an upper hand over Gill in overseas Test matches. However, Gill has now added responsibility as a captain and will look to do justice to the role.