By: Sports DeskSeptember 23, 2025 10:56 AM IST 2 min readFormer India opener Navjot Singh Sidhu has hailed India’s double-Punjabi opening stand in T20Is during the Asia Cup 2025 tournament in the United Arab Emirates. India’s left-right combination at the top was in a combustible mood against Pakistan in the Super 4 encounter on Sunday, with the pair charged by fiery exchanges with Pakistan’s pacers, walloping 105 runs in only 9.5 overs for the opening wicket.India’s 172 chase was eventually smoothened by Abhishek’s belligerent half-century and Gill’s calming presence at the crease, enabling them to register their highest chase against their arch-rivals in all T20Is. Making his T20I debut only after India’s 2024 T20 World Cup triumph in Zimbabwe last July, Abhishek has set the T20I circuit on fire with his breathtaking assault from ball one.Sidhu believes the dashing southpaw has the temperament to open for India across formats and has backed his inclusion in the longer versions of the game. While Abhishek has yet to feature in ODIs and Tests, his childhood friend Gill has established himself as a commanding batter in ODIs and recently took over as the Test captain.View this post on InstagramA post shared by Navjot Singh Sidhu (@navjotsinghsidhu)Sidhu predicted that Abhishek’s fearlessness could reincarnate the effect former India opener Virender Sehwag had on opposition attacks during his time.“I want to see this Punjabi pair in all formats. Abhishek Sharma should be groomed to play every format, because if you play him across formats another Virender Sehwag will be born. I’m dead sure of it. Everyone always knew Shubman Gill was born to win hearts. But Abhishek, when it comes to hitting sixes, I’ve never seen anyone better than him,” Sidhu said in a video on Instagram.In only 23 innings, Abhishek has clobbered over 50 sixes, making him the fastest-ever Indian to reach the landmark. The 25-year-old had also entered the continental tournament as the World No. 1 batter on the back of his exploits against England earlier this year, where he smashed the highest individual score for the country in T20Is at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.Stay updated with the latest sports news across Cricket, Football, Chess, and more. Catch all the action with real-time live cricket score updates and in-depth coverage of ongoing matches.© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd