Abhishek vs Gill: When Childhood Friends Found Themselves on Opposite Sides
For years, the cricketing world has watched Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill do everything together, from their days at the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) and the Under-19 side, to sharing dressing rooms and eventually opening together for India. The two have grown up alongside each other. Their friendship has become one of the most endearing duos in Indian cricket, built on years of affection, trust, familiarity, competition and banter.
On Monday, September 7, at the Sher-E-Punjab T20 tournament, friendship had to take a back seat.
Abhishek and Gill found themselves on opposite sides of the contest, with Abhishek leading the Amritsar Soormas and Shubman returning to captain the Fazilka Falcons.
The anticipation and excitement around the match had been building for days. There were posts, comments and reels all across social media. That fascination had little to do with the points table and everything to do with the two men at the centre of it: two of Punjab cricket’s most celebrated products and two of Indian cricket’s closest friends, who finally found themselves on opposite sides of the field.
While the Soormas and Falcons had already met once earlier in the competition, there was something missing. Gill was not available for that match, meaning the Sher-E-Punjab audience had been denied the match-up it really wanted to see. However, that changed today.
Abhishek won the toss and opted to bowl first. His reasoning was that Shubman was eager to bat. Abhishek was happy to oblige and chose to bowl instead.
However, once the game began, there was no room for favours.
Gill, as the team captain, produced a typically authoritative innings, racing to 67 off just 35 balls. His score included three sixes and eight fours, while his strike rate of 191.43 was the highest among the Falcons’ batters. Then came the moment everyone had been waiting for.
Abhishek had the ball in his hand, Gill was at the crease. This time, Abhishek won.
Gill was outfoxed by Abhishek, with Naman Dhir completing the catch to bring an end to the Fazilka captain’s explosive 67.
During the Soormas’ innings, Abhishek was batting at a breathtaking strike rate of 326.67, the highest in the Soormas’ batting unit, as he smashed his way to 49 off just 15 balls — one run short of a half-century.
Then Garv Kumar eventually dismissed him, and it was Gill who completed the catch.
Even in the Indian Premier League (IPL), when Abhishek’s Sunrisers Hyderabad take on Gill’s Gujarat Titans, their banter, reactions and off-field friendship regularly become a talking point among fans. The Sher-E-Punjab T20 simply brought that dynamic closer to home.
During the post-match comments, Gill was asked: What is it like to face Abhishek as an opponent after having played alongside him since the Under-14 days, through the IPL and for India as well?
His answer was simple: “It’s fun whenever we play together. When he comes to bowl and I’m in the opposition team, it’s very fun and there’s a lot of banter.”
Abhishek, though, put it even more simply.
“This is how it’s been since our childhood. Whenever we both come onto the ground, together or as opponents, we want to win,” he said. “That is how our mindset has always been since childhood.”
In the end, the scoreboard belonged to Abhishek and the Soormas, who sealed a four-wicket victory. But for those watching, it was never just about who won and who lost. It was about two boys who have grown up together in Punjab cricket, shared dressing rooms, and now find themselves at the very top of the game, occasionally having to stand on opposite sides.
Sometimes the best friends have to try to beat each other, and today they did exactly that.
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