NEW DELHI: Shubman Gill etched his name in the history books by becoming the first Indian — and the first Asian — captain to score a double century in a Test match in England. The milestone came on Day 2 of the second Test at Edgbaston on Thursday.The previous best by an Asian captain in England was 193, scored by Sri Lanka’s Tillakaratne Dilshan at Lord’s in 2011.Gill, who had scored a fine 147 on his captaincy debut in Leeds, reached his maiden double century in Test cricket with a single — pulling Josh Tongue to deep fine leg. It took him 311 deliveries to get there.With this feat, Gill joined an elite group of Indian captains to have recorded double hundreds in Tests — a club that includes MAK Pataudi, Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni, and Virat Kohli. Kohli remains the record-holder with seven double centuries as skipper.
Before Gill’s knock, the highest score by an Indian captain in SENA (South Africa, England, New Zealand, Australia) countries was 192 by Mohammad Azharuddin against New Zealand in Auckland in 1990. Azhar’s 179 in Manchester, also in 1990, stood as the highest score by an Indian captain in England — until now.Gill’s landmark innings was laced with 21 boundaries and two towering sixes, underscoring his control and flair on a surface that offered little to bowlers. With this knock, he also became just the third Indian to register a Test double hundred in England after Sunil Gavaskar and Rahul Dravid.
