Edgbaston, July 3 — Shubman Gill etched his name in the record books on Thursday as he became the first Indian and Asian captain to score a double century in a Test match in England, reaching the landmark on Day 2 of the second Test at Edgbaston.
Gill’s monumental innings not only marked his maiden double century in Test cricket but also set a new benchmark for Indian batters on English soil. He surpassed Sunil Gavaskar’s iconic 221 at The Oval in 1979 to post the highest individual Test score by an Indian in England.
The previous best by an Asian captain in England was Tillakaratne Dilshan’s 193 at Lord’s in 2011.
Gill brought up his double hundred in style, nudging a delivery from Josh Tongue to deep fine leg for a single. His patient and commanding knock came off 311 balls and was studded with 21 boundaries and two sixes.
The 24-year-old, who scored 147 on his debut as Test captain at Leeds, joined an elite list of Indian captains with double centuries in the longest format — a group that includes MAK Pataudi, Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar, and MS Dhoni.
Virat Kohli leads that chart with seven double tons as Indian skipper.
Before Gill’s heroics, the highest score by an Indian captain in England stood at 179, made by Mohammad Azharuddin in Manchester in 1990. Azharuddin also held the highest mark by an Indian skipper in any SENA (South Africa, England, New Zealand, Australia) nation with 192 against New Zealand in Auckland the same year.
Gill has now become only the third Indian to register a double century in England after Gavaskar and Rahul Dravid, further solidifying his reputation as one of India’s most promising modern Test batsmen.
