Gill Shines with Century, Kohli Applauds Stellar Performance in Second Test

BIRMINGHAM: Former Indian captain Virat Kohli lauded Test skipper Shubman Gill on Saturday, recognizing his exceptional batting display in the ongoing five-match Test series against England.

Gill demonstrated remarkable form with innings of 269 and 161 in the Edgbaston Test, setting new records and effectively silencing critics.

Kohli, who stepped down from Test cricket prior to the England tour, celebrated Gill’s achievement on Instagram.

He shared a photo of the young batter celebrating his double century, adding the caption:

“Well played star boy. Rewriting history. Onwards and upwards from here. You deserve all of this.”

Gill entered the series facing scrutiny due to prior underwhelming red-ball performances. However, the newly appointed Test captain answered with a memorable performance at Edgbaston, amassing a total of 430 runs across both innings.

His notable effort comprised 43 boundaries and 11 sixes, with over 55 percent of his total runs scored through fours and sixes.

Significantly, Gill became only the second player in Test cricket history to achieve a score of 150-plus in both innings of a match, following Australian legend Allan Border, who accomplished this against Pakistan in Lahore in 1980.

Gill also joined an elite group of players involved in four partnerships exceeding 100 runs in a single Test, showcasing not only personal brilliance but also strong leadership qualities and synergy with his batting partners.

He became the fifth batter ever to surpass 400 runs in a Test match, alongside Graham Gooch, Mark Taylor, Kumar Sangakkara and Brian Lara.

Gill currently holds the second position on this prestigious list, trailing Gooch, who scored 456 runs against India in 1990.

Furthermore, Shubman Gill became the third Indian captain to score a century in each innings of a Test, following Sunil Gavaskar and Virat Kohli.

Gavaskar scored 107 and an unbeaten 182 against West Indies in 1978, while Virat Kohli made 115 and 141 against Australia in 2014.