“They are legends of the game, we have a long way to go” - Yashasvi Jaiswal on his pairing with Gill being compared to Rohit Sharma-Shikhar Dhawan

Young Indian batter Yashasvi Jaiswal has shut down talks of his ODI pairing with Shubman Gill at the top of the order being compared to the seasoned duo of Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan. Describing Rohit and Dhawan as legends, he added that he and Gill have a long way to go.

Jaiswal (84 not out in 51 balls) and Shubman Gill (77 in 47 balls) added 165 runs for the opening wicket against West Indies in Florida on Saturday as India registered a thumping nine-wicket win.

Chasing 179 for victory, the Men in Blue cantered home in 17 overs to level the five-match T20I series 2-2. Speaking to reports after the game, the Player of the Match played down comparisons between Jaiswal-Gill and Rohit-Dhawan duo.

He candidly stated:

“What they (Rohit and Shikhar) have done is amazing. They are legends of the game. I just think that we just need to go and try doing what we can do. We have a long way to go.”

Dhawan-Rohit are fourth on the list of pairs who have scored must runs as an opening combination in ODIs. In 115 innings, they have notched up 5148 runs at an average of 45.55, with 18 hundred-run stands.

Meanwhile, Jaiswal added that he is trying to learn and improve his game as much as he can from seniors like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Hardik Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav.

“I go and talk with my seniors. We have amazing bunch of seniors like Rohit bhaiya, Virat bhaiya, Hardik bhaiya, Surya bhaiya and Rhaul sir. The way they talk. I make sure to listen to their their experiences. I just try to gather as much information possible from their talks and put that in my game," the 21-year-old said.

While Jaiswal struck 11 fours and three sixes in his knock on Saturday, Gill hit three fours and five sixes.

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“I just keep telling myself that ‘I trust, I believe and I will do that’” - Jaiswal

The left-handed batter has had an amazing tour of West Indies. He notched up a brilliant 171 on Test debut in Roseau. Jaiswal followed it up with scores of 57 and 38 in the second Test in Port of Spain, before nothing up his maiden T20I fifty on Saturday.

Reflecting on his performances, he said that that trust and belief are keys to his success.

“I just keep telling myself that ‘I trust, I believe and I will do that.’ To achieve that I need to be disciplined, I need to eat well, sleep well, practice hard. I think it is all about believing in yourself. You need to work hard, stick to your process and keep fighting. There will be hope. Keep telling yourself that I can do this, keep trusting in your abilities. Working hard is important, when the pressure comes that will help you,” he commented.

“Representing our country is always a proud moment. It was really nice to get my fifty as well. There are lot of thoughts and work behind it. I am so blessed and grateful that I am able to express myself. It is just a start. I need to keep milking it. I want to make sure that I am ready for tomorrow (decider),” Jaiswal concluded.

The deciding T20I between India and West Indies will be played in Florida on Sunday.