Critics raised eyebrows against the newly appointed Indian test captain Shubman Gill when the team lost the first of five-test series at Headingley, Leeds.
India played really well till the last day of the first test before Duckett’s 149 run striking innings led the England team to chase down a mammoth target of 371. The key reason for India’s loss even after having been in full-control over the game multiple times was their middle-order batting collapse.
Last year, Indian had won the T20 world cup against Proteas from the situation when the opposition just needed 30 odd runs in just five overs. Now it was a different ball game and there was silence before the storm when Indian test captain Shubman Gill stepped in to face the English bowlers at Edgbaston. There was immense pressure on his shoulders to carry the weight of a losing side but expectations of a cricket loving nation always remain high even when there is a 1% chance of turning the tables.
Indian test captain Shubman Gill’s calm, composed, well-structured innings of 269 off 387 deliveries in the first innings and smashing 161 off just 162 consisting of eight huge sixes in the second innings of 2nd test match turned narrative on its head with an exhibition of the batting that will be remembered for long-long time. Gill not only just delivered a powerful performance, but also delivered a statement that echoed far beyond Birmingham.
The 25-year-old Indian captain’s total of 430 runs set a new benchmark for batting mastery. Only Graham Gooch’s mammoth 456 against India in 1990 surpasses Gill’s tally in a single Test. He just dismantled England’s powerful bowling attack at their home turf with elegance and audacity. Gill’s smashing shots all over the park kept the packed Edgbaston stands buzzing throughout the match.
Shubman added one more feather to its hat by entering into an elite club of batters who have scored a century and a double-century in the same Test, a rare feat achieved among Indians only by Sunil Gavaskar previously.
Gill’s total of 585 runs across the first two Tests in this five-test match series stands as the second-highest in history after South Africa’s one of the greatest leaders, Graeme Smith’s 621 in 2003. Among captains, he now holds the record for the most runs in the first two Tests of a series, surpassing former Indian test captain Virat Kohli’s 449.
Beyond the numbers, what was most impressive was young Shubman Gill’s poise. In the post-match presentation, he spoke with a thoughtful calmness, acknowledging the support of his teammates and the upcoming challenges. His ability to balance aggression on the field with such grace hints at a leader molded not merely by numbers but by character.
In Shubman Gill, India seems to have found a captain who embodies both — a batsman capable of rewriting record books and a young leader who carries himself with dignity and purpose.
As the Indian team heads for the rest of the series, the baton has well and truly been passed. And if Edgbaston was any indication, the future of Indian Test cricket appears to be in remarkably steady hands.
(image source: X/ Twitter (Mufaddal Vohra)
