Shubman Gill made full use of good batting conditions during the first two days of the second Test between India and England to demolish numerous records. At tea on the second day, India had reached 564 for seven with Gill batting on 265 alongside Akash Deep. The new Indian captain seemed on course for a rare triple century when the play resumes after the tea break.
During his marathon innings, the 25-year-old created many records but one milestone he will cherish for long will be the fact that he now has the highest individual score for an Indian captain. And the player he surpassed? None other than Virat Kohli.
Gill has been seen as a successor to Kohli the batter right from his early days in international cricket. However, Gill had a lukewarm start to his Test career. Moved around in the batting order, Gill was good in patches but lacked consistency and big scores.
Coming into the series, Gill averaged just 35 in Test cricket. Being appointed the captain, pressure just piled up on him. But he has thrived in that pressure.
He took the number four spot after the retirement of Kohli who owned it for more than a decade and has now overtaken Kohli to get the highest individual score by an India captain. The former India captain had scored 254* at Pune in 2019 but now that record has been broken.
In the process, Gill shattered several records. He became the first Asian captain to score a double century in a Test match in England. Gill now holds the record for the highest individual score by an Indian captain on English soil, surpassing Mohammad Azharuddin’s 179 at Old Trafford in 1990. He also got the record of the highest individual score for India in England in Tests, breaking long-standing record of legendary Sunil Gavaskar 221.
