Shubman Gill became the first India captain to score double hundred in Tests in England.
The ongoing Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy is proving to be a breakthrough series for Shubman Gill both as a batter and a captain. Coming into the series, the new Test skipper was under immense pressure because of his poor numbers outside Asia. Before the series, Gill was averaging just 14.66 in England and 25 outside Asia. However, he didn’t let the numbers affect his game. Instead, he is enjoying a purple patch in England.
Currently, the series, dominated by batters so far, is level at 1-1. The third Test will be played at the home of cricket, Lord’s, from July 10. Gill is leading the most runs list with 585 runs, while the second-highest run-getter is England’s wicketkeeper-batter Jamie Smith with 356 runs.
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In the first two Tests of the five-match series, Gill has already amassed 585 runs. After a couple of hundreds and a double century, he is averaging a whopping 146.25.
The 25-year-old began the series on a high, registering his maiden Test century on English soil. He continued to dominate England’s bowling attack with a double century (269) in the first innings of the Edgbaston Test, his first in the longest format. The Indian captain notched up yet another century (161) in the latest innings, a knock that eventually helped India to breach the Edgbaston fortress.
In the process, the right-hand batter broke multiple records for the highest aggregate runs (430) in a Test by an Indian. Among his long list of records, he became the second national player to score a double hundred and a ton in the same Test, and made the most runs in the debut series as captain. Now, Gill stands as the only captain from India with the highest score in an innings in England Tests.
The Indian captain now has a great opportunity to go past Sunil Gavaskar’s 54-year-old milestone. With three more Tests remaining in the series, Shubman Gill needs just 189 runs more to reach the former India captain’s tally of 774 runs. Gavaskar had scored 774 runs in eight innings across four Tests against the West Indies in 1970-71, averaging 154.80 with four hundreds and three fifties.
The Punjab cricketer is on the cusp of breaking yet another massive record of Kohli. He is only 107 runs behind Kohli’s 692 to become an Indian with the most runs in a debut Test series as captain. The former India skipper had set the record in eight innings at a staggering average of 86.50 during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2014-15. Kohli had four hundreds and a fifty to his name.
England will next meet India at Lord’s on July 10 for the third Test.
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