Last Updated on 3 months by Charbel Coorey
Shubman Gill has become the first Indian captain to score a double hundred in England, achieving the feat on the second day of the Edgbaston Test. It was a beautifully paced innings by Gill, who followed up his hundred in the first Test in grand style.
Gill has been a consistent run-getter in white-ball cricket. He is a magnificent stroke-maker in both ODIs and T20s. But, the manner in which he set up to play a long innings is encouraging, showing he is keen to lead the way with the bat as Indian captain. After giving it away on 147 in the first Test, he ensured he did not repeat such a dismissal when he had the chance again to go really big.
England tested Gill with the delivery coming back in early. After surviving a few close moments, India’s number four never looked back, batting at 93% control even as he crossed 300 balls.
Although the Edgbaston pitch is flat, batting long periods requires discipline and patience, which the captain showed in spades. Gill brought up his hundred on the first evening during a crucial partnership with Ravindra Jadeja, followed by the double hundred alongside Washington Sundar as India neared 500. In the process, he became the fifth player in history to score a double century in both men’s ODIs and Tests.
Reactions: Shubman Gill hits maiden double hundred as India post 500+ at Edgbaston
“Fabulous start to his leadership stint, this would do him a world of good moving forward,” wrote former India offspinner R Ashwin on X (formerly Twitter).
“Take a bow @ShubmanGill! Making it look so easy on the big stage! Well played and well deserved double century an example of being unstoppable when the intent is clear,” wrote Yuvraj Singh.
Gill passed Sunil Gavaskar’s 221 to become the holder of the highest score by an Indian in a Test innings in England. For a while, he threatened to go past Virender Sehwag’s 319. In the end, he was dismissed for a superb 269.
