Birmingham, July 3 (UNI) Shubman Gill carved out a memorable chapter in Indian cricket history today, smashing a magnificent maiden double century to put India in control of the Edgbaston Test against England.
With this knock, Gill became only the third Indian to score a Test double hundred on English soil, joining Sunil Gavaskar and Rahul Dravid.
Facing Josh Tongue in the 122nd over, Gill nudged a short ball down the leg side to fine leg to bring up his 200. His celebrations were restrained but emotional — a punch in the air, helmet off, a fist pump on one knee, and a trademark bow to the spectators, greeted by a deafening roar from the Indian supporters.
This milestone marked Gill’s first double hundred in Test cricket and a momentous achievement in multiple respects. He became the seventh Indian captain to score a Test double century, joining a distinguished list that includes Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, and Virat Kohli — who leads with seven such scores. Notably, this was only the second double hundred by an Indian captain in an overseas Test, following Kohli’s 200 at North Sound in 2016.
Gill’s feat also created a new benchmark in Asian cricket. He is now the first Asian captain to score a Test double century in SENA countries (South Africa, England, New Zealand, Australia), surpassing the previous best of 193 by Sri Lanka’s Tillakaratne Dilshan at Lord’s in 2011.
At 25 years and 298 days, Gill became the second-youngest India captain to score a double century in Tests, trailing only Pataudi, who was 23 years and 39 days old when he achieved the feat against England in 1964. Gill now stands ahead of other India greats like Sachin Tendulkar (26y 189d) and Kohli (27y 260d) in this regard.
On the global stage, Gill also became the second-youngest Test captain to score a double hundred in England. Of the 11 double centuries scored by Test captains in England (four by home players and seven by touring sides), only South Africa’s Graeme Smith was younger, scoring 277 at Edgbaston at the age of 22 years and 175 days in 2003.
Gill’s masterclass, defined by crisp strokeplay, composure, and technical brilliance, held the India innings together and steered them into a commanding position. His knock is now etched as not only a personal landmark but a defining moment in India’s ongoing Test legacy in England.
