Shubman Gill becomes first Asian captain to score Test double hundred in SENA

England vs India: Captain Shubman Gill became the first Asian skipper to score a Test double hundred on English soil — and across SENA (South Africa, England, New Zealand, Australia) conditions — during the Edgbaston Test.

In Short

• Shubman Gill became the first Indian captain to hit a Test double hundred in England
• He surpassed Azharuddin's 179 to set a new record for Indian captains in England
• Gill is the first Indian batter in 23 years to score 150+ in England Tests

Captain Shubman Gill continued his prolific run in England, becoming the first Asian skipper to score a Test double century on English soil - and across SENA (South Africa, England, New Zealand, Australia) conditions - during the Edgbaston Test. The right-hander came into the series under considerable pressure, averaging just 25.7 in SENA countries with only two half-centuries to his name. But cometh the hour, cometh the best version of Gill. The Indian captain brought up his second century of the tour and went on to register his maiden 150-plus score in Test cricket.

England vs India, 2nd Test Day 2 Updates

Remarkably, Gill also became the first Indian batter in 23 years to post a 150+ score in England, following Rahul Dravid's iconic 217 at The Oval in 2002. As captain, he surpassed Mohammad Azharuddin's long-standing record for the highest individual Test score by an Indian skipper in England - a 179 at Old Trafford in 1990.

Highest scores by an Indian captain in England (Tests):

200 – Shubman Gill, Birmingham, 2025*

179 – Mohammed Azharuddin, Manchester, 1990

149 – Virat Kohli, Birmingham, 2018

148 – Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, Leeds, 1967

147 – Shubman Gill, Leeds, 2025

Gill appears to be batting in his own world, following up his century in his first innings as India's Test captain at Headingley with a commanding double hundred in the second Test at Edgbaston. The 25-year-old reached the landmark in 311 balls, his innings studded with 21 fours and two sixes.

He has broken a plethora of records along the way - becoming the first Asian captain to score a double century in a Test in England. Naturally, he also now holds the record for the highest individual score by an Indian captain in a Test innings in England, overtaking Azharuddin's 179.

HIGHEST SCORES BY ASIAN CAPTAIN IN SENA TESTS

Shubman Gill – Birmingham, 2025 – 200*

Tillakaratne Dilshan – Lord's, 2011 – 193

Mohammad Azharuddin – Auckland, 1990 – 192

Hanif Mohammad – Lord's, 1967 – 187*

Mohammad Azharuddin – Manchester, 1990 – 179

Gill brought up another milestone in the 125th over, when a hat-trick of boundaries off Chris Woakes took him to 222 off 323 deliveries - the highest individual score by an Indian in a Test match in England, surpassing Sunil Gavaskar's 221 at The Oval in 1979. He is now the 26th Indian cricketer to hit a Test double hundred. Twelve Indian players have one each, and Gill becomes the 13th to join that club. Overall, this was the 50th instance of an Indian scoring a double century in Test cricket. Virat Kohli holds the record for the most, with seven.

Gill is only the sixth Indian captain to have scored a double century in Tests, following in the footsteps of Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli. He is also now the fourth Indian to have scored double centuries in both Tests and ODIs, alongside Rohit Sharma, Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag.

On Thursday, Gill not only recorded the highest score by an Indian captain in England but also broke Kohli's record for the highest score by an Indian skipper in an overseas Test - the previous best being 200 against the West Indies in North Sound in 2016.

At 25, Gill also became the second-youngest Indian captain after Pataudi to reach a double hundred in Tests.

While every batter encounters the occasional false stroke - defined as any edge, play-and-miss, or mishit - Gill offered just three during his marathon knock: one off Chris Woakes and two off his opposite number Ben Stokes. Even legends such as Rahul Dravid, Ricky Ponting and Kumar Sangakkara - all of whom have scored memorable centuries in England - didn't exhibit this level of control. Nor did English stalwarts like Alastair Cook, Kevin Pietersen or Joe Root.

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