The Indian skipper Shubman Gill, has led from the front with the bat in the England series, amassing 722 runs in eight innings at an average of 90.25 with as many as four centuries to his name. Shubman Gill needs to score one more century to equal West Indies’ Clyde Walcott’s world record that was created back in 1955 against Australia.
Shubman Gill has a chance to break Walcott’s record as well, but for that to happen, he will have to repeat his heroics from the Edgbaston Test earlier in the series when he scored 269 and 161 runs in two innings. Walcott had smashed five centuries against Australia, which is still the most for a batter in a single Test cricket in the rich history of the format. He scored 827 runs in 10 innings at an average of 82.70 with five tons and two fifties.
Shubman Gill is currently in the league of Sunil Gavaskar and Virat Kohli who scored four centuries in a single Test series, but can create his own legacy with one more 100+ score in the final Test. Gavaskar has achieved this feat twice, both against the West Indies at home and away in the 1971 and 1978-79 series, respectively. As for Kohli, he did so against Australia down under during the 2014-15 series.
Meanwhile, at the age of 25, Shubman Gill is on the verge of breaking Don Bradman’s long-standing record as well. The latter holds the record of scoring the most runs in a single Test series as captain, having amassed 810 runs against England during the 1936-37 series. Shubman Gill has so far scored 722 runs and is only 89 runs away from surpassing Bradman’s 89-year-old record, much to the delight of the Indian fans.
Moreover, Shubman Gill is also only 53 runs away from breaking Gavaskar’s record of being an Indian player with the most runs in a Test series. Gavaskar had scored 774 runs in four matches against the West Indies at an average of 154.8. At the same time, the current Indian skipper Shubman Gill is only 11 runs adrift of becoming the Indian with most runs in a series as captain and yet again, he will surpass Gavaskar in this aspect.
Shubman Gill, Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar’s centuries results in an epic draw for Indian Team at Manchester
Ravindra Jadeja, Shubman Gill, Washington Sundar and KL Rahul stood like a rock as they led India’s great escape in the Manchester Test. Jadeja and Sundar put up 203 for the fifth wicket after Shubman Gill and Rahul had notched up 188 for the third wicket as they denied the Three Lions what looked like a comfortable win.
Shubman Gill, Jadeja and Sundar slammed centuries, while Rahul fell 10 short of his ton on Day 5 of the Manchester Test. There was some drama in the final hour of the day, with England looking to shake hands as a draw seemed the only result. However, as Jadeja and Sundar were nearing their centuries, the two batters refused to shake hands.
They got to their tons, and then the players shook hands as the match ended in a stalemate. Meanwhile, the trio of Jadeja, Shubman Gill and Sundar has achieved a never-before-seen record for India in Test cricket.
For the first time, three individual players have hit centuries for India in the second innings of a Test match. They had two centurions in the second innings on multiple occasions, with the latest being their Leeds defeat to England when Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul had hit tons. However, the Men in Blue had not had three individual centurions in the second innings before this game.
The visitors managed to eke out a draw despite the hosts looking favourites to win the clash. England had got India 0/2 in the second innings of Day 3 and had a lead of 311. The visitors had a mountain to climb with five sessions to play. The batters stood tall with composed knocks. England had taken two more wickets in the first session on the final day with Ben Stokes removing KL Rahul on 90, before Jofra Archer nicked Shubman Gill behind. With still two sessions to play, Jadeja and Sundar dug in and held themselves to take India to a famous draw.
Speaking after the match on the epic draw , skipper Shubman Gill was in praise of the Team who secured an epic draw and spoke his heart out regarding all the contributors of the game.
Shubman Gill lauds batting unit for a valiant effort
India captain Shubman Gill has hailed his team’s fighting effort to secure a draw heading into the final Test at The Oval with the visitors still in with a chance of sharing the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.Indian Captain Shubman Gill and KL Rahul’s partnership destroyed all the hopes of England’s team to win the fourth test match at Old Trafford.
The immense contribution of all the team members showed why they are “great team”. After the great knock of Shubman Gill and KL Rahul, the all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar showcased their talent and skills.Both Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar saved their wickets and stood strong, completing their centuries- saving the team from a series defeat. Speaking about the match, Captain Shubman Gill praised the efforts of everyone for their individual contribution- stating they are a ‘great team’.
“To be able to have that same mindset for 140 overs is very difficult, and that is what differentiates a good team from a great team, and I think we showed that today, that is why we are a great team,” Shubman Gill told the BCCI TV.
Shubman Gill was at the forefront of India’s fight, putting together 188 for the third wicket with KL Rahul. More importantly, the duo batted for nearly 70 overs after India had lost Yashasvi Jaiswal and B Sai Sudharsan in the very first over, with India trailing by 311.
“Zero for two and then the partnership between me and KL bhai, I think that’s what ignited the belief that yes, we can achieve this task. Extremely, extremely happy. To be able to get a draw from the position that we were in yesterday is extremely satisfying,” he added.
Shubman Gill brought up his fourth century of the series, drawing level with Don Bradman and Sunil Gavaskar for most centuries in a series in England. It took Shubman Gill’s series aggregate to 722, which is 52 short of Gavaskar’s all-time record for most runs in a series by an Indian. KL Rahul, meanwhile, took his series tall to 511 – the first time he’s passed 500 runs or more in a series – en route a typically stodgy 90, his fourth score of fifty or more so far this series.
Shubman Gill was equally effusive in his praise for the calmness Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar showed, after he fell for 103 in the second session while wafting at a Jofra Archer delivery. At 222 for 4, with both set batters dismissed, India were still 91 behind with Shardul Thakur, three lower-order batters and an injured Rishabh Pant still to come.
Jadeja fought his way through to score his fifth score of fifty or more in six innings. His fifth Test century, which he raised with a six during the last hour after England were keen to shake hands for the draw, was full of pluck. Having been dropped first ball at first slip by Joe Root off Archer, Jadeja batted through without any further alarms to remain unbeaten on 107.
Washington Sundar, whose previous best was 96 against England in 2021, also brought up his century, his first in Test cricket. Washington, who began the series at No. 8, earned a promotion to No. 5 in Pant’s absence. The partnership between the two was worth an unbroken 203 for the fifth wicket when both teams eventually shook hands for the draw.