Shubman Gill did what no other Asian captain could ever do in a Test match in SENA (South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia) countries.
Coming in to bat at No.4 after England captain Ben Stokes sent India in, Shubman Gill became the first Asian captain to score a double century in SENA counties. No other Asian captain has a double hundred in SENA countries. Gill broke former Sri Lanka opener Tilakaratne Dilshan’s record for the highest score by an Asian captain in SENA countries. Dilshan had scored 193 against England at Lord’s in 2011.
The likes of Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma didn’t even come close. It was also Gill’s maiden double hundred in Test cricket. The Indian captain, who celebrated his century on Day 1 with a Virat Kohli-like roar, got to his double century in the second session on Day 2 of the second Test at Edgbaston in Birmingham. Gavaskar’s highest score as an Indian captain in England is only 48. The legendary cricketer, however, has a double century (221) in England when he was not a captain.
Full list of records Shubman Gill broke with his double century against England
Moments later, Gill broke Gavaskar’s record for the highest score by an Indian in England. Gavaskar had scored 221 at The Oval in 1979.
Needless to say, Shubman Gill also broke Mohammed Azharuddin’s long-standing record for the highest score by an Indian captain in SENA counties. Azharuddin held the record for 35 years for the 192-run knock he played against New Zealand in 1990. Azharuddin also held the highest score by an Indian captain in England. He had smashed 179 in Manchester in 1990.
Tendulkar’s highest score as an Indian captain in SENA countries was 169 against South Arica in Cape Town in 1996.
Gill, incidentally, is only the second Indian captain after Azharuddin to go past the 150-run mark in England. Kohli’s highest score as Indian captain in England was 149 at the same venue in 2018.
Gill, whose highest score came in the first Test in Leeds with a 147-run knock, got to his landmark with a single off Josh Tongue.
Shubman Gill’s double hundred is only the second one by an Indian captain in an overseas Test, after Virat Kohli’s 200 at North Sound in 2016.
At 25 years and 298 days, Shubman Gill also became the second youngest Indian captain to score a double century. The youngest to do so was Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi at the age of 23 and 39 days against England in New Delhi in 1964.
Shubman Gill rewrites history books with maiden double century against England
Gill’s innings was not only fluent but statistically precise. According to Cricviz, his false shot percentage on Day 1 was just 3.5%, the lowest ever recorded for a century in England since the analytics firm began keeping records in 2006. The average for centuries in England is 12%.
India resumed the day on 310-5, with Gill unbeaten on 114 and Jadeja on 41. The pair batted confidently in ideal sunny conditions, with Jadeja reaching his half-century in style and celebrating with his signature ‘sword dance’ to the delight of a vocal Indian crowd.
England captain Ben Stokes employed increasingly unorthodox tactics to break the stand, introducing off-spinner Shoaib Bashir and setting funky fields, including a 6-3 leg-side trap for pacer Brydon Carse. But Gill and Jadeja countered confidently, especially when Gill brought up his 150 in 263 balls and then reverse-swept Bashir for four.
Moments later, Jadeja launched Bashir for six to bring up India’s 400, and Gill slog-swept another to bring up the 200-run partnership-a statement of dominance on a good batting pitch.