"Can be something as great as a Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly" - Robin Uthappa hails Yashasvi Jaiswal-Shubman Gill opening partnership

Former Indian batter Robin Uthappa reserved high praise for the opening partnership of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill after the duo shredded the West Indian bowlers in the fourth T20I at Lauderhill in Florida on Saturday, August 12.

The pair put on 165 off 93 deliveries for the opening wicket as Team India made a mockery of their target of 179 to level the series at 2-2. It also equaled the highest opening partnership for the Men in Blue in T20Is, joining Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul against Sri Lanka in 2017.

Furthermore, the Gill-Jaiswal was also the highest partnership for India for any wicket and the highest opening partnership against the West Indies in T20s.

Speaking to Jio Cinema post-game, Robin Uthappa felt that the duo's ability to complement one another could enable them to become an all-time legendary opening partnership like Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly.

"Everyone who plays for India are equally capable and have equal ability but the way Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill bat in tandem; they can bat for each other as well and they need to find that space. If they do, they are going to be a very dangerous pair for India in years to come. It will be a hot pair and they can be something as great as a Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly opening the batting," said Uthappa.

"They need to figure a few things out and if they do, they will do great things for India," added Uthappa.

Needless to say that despite the outstanding start, mimicking the Tendulkar-Ganguly partnership will be a gigantic task for any pair. The duo holds the record for the most runs as a partnership in ODIs with 8,227 runs, with 6,609 runs coming as openers.

They averaged a stunning 49.32 as a partnership across 136 innings, including 21-century stands.

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Team India looks to keep their T20I series winning streak alive

A collective bowling performance saw India restrict the hosts to a chasable target.

Team India romped back into the five-match T20I series with another convincing victory in the fourth game to draw level at 2-2 after being in an 0-2 deficit. The Hardik Pandya-led side hasn't suffered defeat in a bilateral T20 series for over two years, with their last setback coming against Sri Lanka in 2021.

The 12-series unbeaten streak includes two wins against the West Indies and a drawn rubber against South Africa at home after being similarly down 0-2. Also in their favor is that the Asian giants are undefeated in their four previous 5-match T20I series.

After faltering in close finishes in the opening two games, India have pulled off sensational run chases led by the heroics of Suryakumar Yadav, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Shubman Gill to nod the series.

They will look to complete the comeback and end a successful West Indian tour on a high at the same venue in Florida on Sunday, August 13.