Shubman Gill smashes records with double century in second Test against England

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India’s Test captain Shubman Gill made history on Thursday with a brilliant double century in the second Test against England at Edgbaston, setting multiple records and cementing his place among India’s modern greats.

Gill, who had already scored a century in the first Test at Leeds, continued his form by posting a remarkable 269 in Birmingham. This was his maiden double hundred in Tests.

His 269 is now the highest score by an Indian Test captain, surpassing Virat Kohli’s unbeaten 254 against South Africa in 2019. It is also the highest score by an Indian in Tests outside Asia, overtaking Sachin Tendulkar’s 241 not out at the SCG in 2004.

Gill's innings also ranks as the third-highest by an Indian batter in away Tests, only behind Virender Sehwag's 309 in Multan and Rahul Dravid's 270 in Rawalpindi, both achieved on the 2004 tour of Pakistan.

He became only the third Indian to score a double century in Tests in England, after Sunil Gavaskar (221 in 1979) and Rahul Dravid (217 in 2002), both at The Oval.

Gill's control percentage during his 269 was 93.28, according to a cricketing website's ball-by-ball data. Only two batters have managed higher control percentages in a century in Tests in England since 2006.

His score is also the eighth-highest by a visiting batter in England and the highest ever by an Indian after being put into bat.

The innings also put him at the top of the list for the highest scores by an Indian Test captain in England:

• Shubman Gill – 269, Birmingham 2025
• Mohammad Azharuddin – 179, Manchester 1990
• Virat Kohli – 149, Birmingham 2018

In addition to the records, Gill also made history by becoming the second-youngest Indian to score a Test double century as captain. He reached the milestone at 25 years and 298 days, surpassing Sachin Tendulkar, who was 26 years and 189 days old when he scored a double hundred as captain against New Zealand in 1999.

Only MAK Pataudi was younger when he scored 203 as captain in 1964 at the age of 23 years and 39 days.

Youngest to score a Test double century as India captain:

• 23y 39d – MAK Pataudi vs England, Delhi, 1964
• 25y 298d – Shubman Gill vs England, Birmingham, 2025
• 26y 189d – Sachin Tendulkar vs New Zealand, Ahmedabad, 1999
• 27y 260d – Virat Kohli vs West Indies, North Sound, 2016

Gill also joined an elite club of players who have scored double centuries in both Tests and ODIs, alongside Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Rohit Sharma, and Chris Gayle.

India’s lower order played a key role as well, adding 376 runs after the fall of Nitish Kumar Reddy — the most India has ever scored for the last five wickets in a Test.

Ravindra Jadeja was involved in a double-century stand for the sixth wicket or lower, marking his third such partnership. Only Adam Gilchrist (6), BJ Watling (5), and MS Dhoni (4) have been part of more.

Meanwhile, opener Yashasvi Jaiswal scored a fifty-plus for the seventh straight Test against England, joining Viv Richards and Mark Taylor in achieving that feat in their first seven Tests against the English side.

Shubman Gill’s historic knock not only gave India a commanding position in the match but also placed him firmly among India’s most promising young leaders.

In the match, after posting a mammoth first-innings total of 587, Indian bowlers struck early, restricting England to 77/3 by the end of the second day's play.