It was a day dominated by India and their captain Shubman Gill, who scored a majestic, record-breaking double century. The 25-year-old’s knock powered India to a massive first-innings total of 587 and cemented his place among the game’s greats.By stumps on Day 2 of the second Test, England found themselves staring at a mountain, reeling at 77 for 3, still trailing by 510 runs.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Gill’s monumental 269 was not just a career-best – it was a statistical spectacle that obliterated long-standing Indian records in overseas Tests. In only his second Test as captain, Gill surpassed legends such as Virat Kohli, Sachin Tendulkar and Sunil Gavaskar, compiling a catalogue of elite milestones in one extraordinary knock.“I worked on a few things before the series,” Gill said after the day’s play. “Looking at the results, they are working for me.”
Here are the major records smashed by captain Gill in Birmingham:* Highest by an Indian captain in TestsGill’s 269 now stands as the highest score by an Indian Test captain, overtaking Kohli’s unbeaten 254 against South Africa in 2019. It is only the second double hundred by an Indian captain in an overseas Test, after Kohli’s 200 in Antigua in 2016.* Record in England and outside AsiaIn England, Gill’s effort is now the highest score by an Indian batter, bettering Gavaskar’s 221 at The Oval in 1979 and Dravid’s 217 in 2002. His 269 also tops Sachin Tendulkar’s 241* at Sydney in 2004 as the highest Test score by an Indian outside Asia.* Among India’s All-Time BestOverall, Gill’s 269 is the third-highest away Test score by an Indian, behind only Sehwag’s 309 (Multan, 2004) and Dravid’s 270 (Rawalpindi, 2004). It’s the seventh-highest Test score for India across all venues.He also became only the fifth batter ever, after Sehwag, Tendulkar, Rohit Sharma and Chris Gayle (the lone non-Indian), to notch up double hundreds in both Tests and ODIs.
* Rarified company at EdgbastonAt Edgbaston, only Graeme Smith (277, 2003) and Zaheer Abbas (274, 1971) had scored more as visiting batters. Gill’s 269 is now the third-highest score at the venue by a tourist, and the eighth-highest overall by a visiting batter in England.* Elite company in captaincy debut trailGill is now one of only seven players to hit centuries in each of their first two Tests as captain. Indians Vijay Hazare, Gavaskar and Kohli had achieved this before. At 25 years and 298 days, he is also the second-youngest Indian skipper to post a double ton, after MAK Pataudi.Only Graeme Smith scored a double century in England at a younger age among captains, doing so twice in 2003 at age 22.
Shubman Gill’s knock in context of India’s batting historyIndia’s 250-plus scores in away Tests:309 – Virender Sehwag vs PAK (Multan, 2004)270 – Rahul Dravid vs PAK (Rawalpindi, 2004)269 – Shubman Gill vs ENG (Edgbaston, 2025)254 – Sehwag vs PAK (Lahore, 2006)Youngest to score a Test double hundred as India captain23y 39d – MAK Pataudi vs ENG, Delhi, 196425y 298d – Shubman Gill vs ENG, Edgbaston, 202526y 189d – Sachin Tendulkar vs NZ, Ahmedabad, 199927y 260d – Virat Kohli vs WI, North Sound, 2016Among Indian captains, only Kohli (7 double tons) has more, but Gill’s has a unique prestige – it came outside the subcontinent, the first ever by an Indian skipper in SENA countries.
