India captain Shubman Gill carved his name into the annals of cricketing history on Sunday by becoming the first Indian skipper to score over 700 runs in an away Test series. The landmark moment came during the fourth Test of the prestigious Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025 in England, further cementing Gill’s status as one of the finest young batters in the modern game.
The 25-year-old now finds himself in elite company, joining a rare list of captains who have surpassed the 700-run mark in a single Test series, that includes the legendary Sir Don Bradman (who achieved the feat twice), Sir Garfield Sobers, Greg Chappell, Sunil Gavaskar, David Gower, Graham Gooch, and Graeme Smith. It is a milestone that reflects not only Gill’s class and consistency, but also his temperament under pressure.
Gill is now the third Indian cricketer to cross 700 runs in a single Test series, following in the footsteps of Gavaskar and Yashasvi Jaiswal. His achievement came through a resilient and composed innings in India’s second outing at Old Trafford, where he walked out to bat with his side reeling at 0 for 2 after conceding a mammoth 311-run first-innings lead.
With 619 runs already to his name from seven innings, including a masterful 269 at Edgbaston earlier in the series, Gill needed 74 runs to surpass Virat Kohli’s record of 692 runs in the 2014 Australia tour, and 81 to breach the 700-run milestone. He achieved it in the face of immense pressure, with India staring at the possibility of a series defeat.
Teaming up with the experienced KL Rahul, Gill constructed a critical partnership that spanned two sessions and steadied India’s innings. The duo showed remarkable patience and technical skill, blunting the hostile pace of Chris Woakes and Jofra Archer under overcast skies. Gill, in particular, was tested in the early stages but grew into his innings, displaying maturity beyond his years.
At the time of writing, India were 188 at the loss of three wickets, with KL having departed for 10 runs short of what would have otherwise been a historic century. Washington Sundar was sent up at No. 5 ahead of the injured Rishabh Pant and veteran Ravindra Jadeja.
