Shubman Gill Surpasses Jacques Kallis And Babar Azam With 17th Century In 2nd Test At Edgbaston, Birmingham

In just his second match as India’s Test captain, Shubman Gill unleashed a batting masterclass at Edgbaston, surpassing past legends like Jacques Kallis and Babar Azam to secure a spot in the cricketing elite.

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Beginning the series with a century in his debut Test as captain at Headingley, Gill confirmed his leadership mettle. He carried that confidence to the second Test, smashing a career-defining 269 in the first innings, his maiden overseas double century. In the second innings, Gill struck again, scoring 161, securing his second century of the match in just 129 deliveries, and amassing 430 runs in the Test, second only to Graham Gooch’s historic 456. 

Beating the Greats

That century marked Gill’s 17th international ton by age 25, surpassing Jacques Kallis, Babar Azam, Quinton de Kock, and Alastair Cook, all of whom had 16 centuries at the same age. Only the likes of Chris Gayle, Joe Root, Kane Williamson, Virat Kohli, and Sachin Tendulkar had crossed that mark before turning 25. 

Gill also became the third captain to score twin centuries against England in the same Test, following in the footsteps of Alan Melville and Inzamam‑ul‑Haq. 

Record-Breaking Numbers

• 430 runs across two innings, now the second-highest Test match aggregate in history.
• First player in 148 years to score both a double century and a 150+ in the same Test, joining Allan Border’s 1980 record 
• Set the most runs by an Indian captain in a Test; his 269 tops Virat Kohli’s 254* 
• Became the first Asian captain to notch a double century in a SENA country (South Africa, England, New Zealand, Australia) 
• Joined an elite group of just nine players to score a double-century and century in the same Test alongside Gooch, Lara, Sangakkara, etc. 
• One of only three Indian captains to score centuries in both innings of a Test (Gavaskar, Kohli) 

A New Era

Gill’s tally of 585 runs in two Tests marks the second-highest aggregate in the first two Tests of a series, surpassed only by Graeme Smith’s 621 in England, 2003. His brushed-off style, confidence, and leadership are now sparking comparisons to predecessors like Kohli and Tendulkar.