Shubman Gill Shines as Future Star with Record-Breaking Double Century

Shubman Gill's Historic Performance

Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], July 4: Former Indian cricketer Mohammad Azharuddin praised Test captain Shubman Gill, referring to him as a "future star" after his remarkable innings during the second day of the Birmingham Test at Edgbaston.

Gill delivered an extraordinary performance, amassing a stunning 269 runs off 387 balls on Thursday, setting multiple records in the process.

Commenting on Gill's achievement, Azharuddin stated, "He played exceptionally well. He is among the best players and is undoubtedly a future star. I believe he will accomplish great things ahead. I wish him all the best and hope he continues to excel, bringing pride to our country."

With his impressive double century, Shubman Gill has significantly enhanced the legacy of Indian cricket, becoming only the sixth Indian to score over 250 runs in a Test match. He joins the ranks of legends like Virender Sehwag, VVS Laxman, Rahul Dravid, Karun Nair, and Virat Kohli. Notably, Gill is the first Indian to achieve this feat outside the Indian subcontinent, surpassing Sachin Tendulkar's previous record of 241* against Australia in Sydney in 2004.

He also became the third Indian to score a double century in England, following in the footsteps of Rahul Dravid (217 at The Oval in 2002) and Sunil Gavaskar (221 at The Oval in 1979).

Gill made history as the first Indian captain to score a double century against England on their home turf, eclipsing Mohammad Azharuddin's previous record of 179 at Old Trafford in 1990.

After reaching the milestone, he quickly surpassed Sunil Gavaskar's 221 at The Oval in 1979, setting the record for the highest individual score by an Indian in England.

Additionally, Gill joined the elite group of Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, and Rohit Sharma as the fourth Indian to score centuries in both Tests and ODIs.

He also broke Virat Kohli's record of 254* against South Africa in 2019, marking the highest score ever by an Indian captain.

At just 25 years old, Gill became the third Indian captain to achieve a 150-plus Test score before turning 26, following Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi and Sachin Tendulkar.

This marks the second instance of an Indian captain scoring a double century overseas, the first being Virat Kohli's 200 against West Indies in 2016.

Gill is the first Asian captain to score a double century in South Africa, England, New Zealand, and Australia (SENA), with the previous best being 193 by Sri Lanka's Tillakaratne Dilshan at Lord's in 2011.

He is also the second-youngest Indian captain to score a Test double century, achieving this at 25 years and 298 days, just behind Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, who did so at 23 years and 39 days.

In total, there have been 11 double centuries scored by captains in England, with four from the home team and seven from visiting teams. Only South African legend Graeme Smith reached this milestone at a younger age than Gill, with scores of 277 and 259 in consecutive Tests at Edgbaston and Lord's in 2003, the first at 22 years and 175 days.

It took Gill just three innings as captain to achieve his double century, tying for the quickest in Indian history alongside Sunil Gavaskar (205 vs WI, Wankhede, 1978).