Shubman Gill stamps authority with maiden Test double ton in Birmingham

In the current second Test of the five-match series at Edgbaston in Birmingham, India skipper Shubman Gill achieved his first double hundred in Test cricket, continuing his incredible red-ball cricket record. In his nascent career as an Indian Test batter, the star batsman needed 311 balls to accomplish the significant milestone.

Along with the likes of Rahul Dravid (217 at The Oval, London in 2002) and the legendary Sunil Gavaskar (221 at The Oval, London in 1979), Shubman Gill became just the third Indian to reach a double century in England. In the course of reaching the milestone, which helped India establish their control in the game after they suffered a disheartening defeat by five wickets on the final day of the Test at Headingley, Leeds, the 25-year-old smashed 21 fours and a couple of massive sixes.

As India’s Test captain, the individual accomplishment also marks a promising beginning to his stats. This is Gill’s second triple-digit score in only three innings as the pack leader, which will give the selection committee and the dugout a great deal of confidence. One might also argue that the Fazilka-born player has benefited much from dropping from No. 3 in his batting order to No. 4.

At a critical point in the match, when the visitors had lost Karun Nair with just 95 runs remaining and the second wicket had fallen, Shubman Gill entered the batting order. Ravindra Jadeja became Gill’s ideal partner because he kept scoring from his end even while wickets kept falling at the other end. At one point, the situation appeared dire, thus the pair’s 203 runs for the sixth wicket were vital. Jadeja put his club back on track for a significant first-inning total before leaving, just short of his century.

As of this writing, Gill had already surpassed Gavaskar’s 221 against the same opposition more than 40 years ago to reach 222*, the best score ever achieved by an Indian batter playing in the United Kingdom.

After Shubman Gill’s incredible knock on Day 2 in Birmingham, X was ablaze with admiration.

Welcome to the 200 club @ShubmanGill🔥#ENGvIND #TeamIndia pic.twitter.com/lDZtCpHAcH

— Mayank Agarwal (@mayankcricket) July 3, 2025

Take a bow @ShubmanGill! Making it look so easy on the big stage! Well played and well deserved double century 💯 an example of being unstoppable when the intent is clear 🔥 #IndVSEng pic.twitter.com/A1JXYVkzni

— Yuvraj Singh (@YUVSTRONG12) July 3, 2025

200 runs. Infinite grace. One @ShubmanGill .
So proud, brother.
This isn’t just a milestone, it’s the start of something legendary. 💯🔥

– Sid 💙 pic.twitter.com/CIxu8bUXAD

— Siddharthh Kaul (@iamsidkaul) July 3, 2025

First Indian Captain to score 200 on the English soil. Determination in Shubman Gill’s eyes was quite evident. From charming strokes to solid defence everything was there in this special inning

— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) July 3, 2025

A double for Gill.👌👌👌

Fabulous start to his leadership stint, this would do him a world of good moving forward.

It’s time for India to bat all day now. #INDvsENG pic.twitter.com/mRbJhYhzWl

— Ashwin 🇮🇳 (@ashwinravi99) July 3, 2025

Highest score by an Indian Captain in:

Tests – Shubman Gill (269).

ODIs – Virender Sehwag (219).

T20is – Rohit Sharma (121*). pic.twitter.com/nlOIGqQrUP

— Om Verma (@OmBhai1713) July 4, 2025

Shubman Gill’s unbeaten 200* against England in Birmingham, 2025, puts him alongside Sunil Gavaskar and Rahul Dravid as the only Indians to score a Test double century in England, cementing his status as a torchbearer of India’s batting future.

Congratulations, Skipper!… pic.twitter.com/wVqOpclLkS

— Sanket Bhatt (@ImSSanket) July 3, 2025

New Era. Same Fire.🔥
Shubman Gill steps up to carry the legacy Virat Kohli built.#ShubmanGill #INDvsENGTest pic.twitter.com/xtKgd2YZAG

— PRASHANT KUMAR (@prashantkotak22) July 3, 2025