Shubman Gill spent most of day two at Edgbaston turning a good start into something far more imposing, finishing on 269 and clearing a mark Sunil Gavaskar had owned since 1979. The opener-turned-captain batted almost seven hours, offered no clear chance and, in the middle session, eased past Gavaskar’s 221 at The Oval to post the highest Test score by an Indian on English soil.
A week earlier at Headingley he made 147 and admitted, “147 was not enough; I should have gone bigger.” Determined to keep that promise, he settled quickly on a surface offering pace but little movement, picking off anything marginally short and resisting the temptation to drive on the up. His first hundred came in 177 balls, the second in a further 138, the next seventy-odd in something close to cruise control.
The new high-water mark ends a list that had remained untouched for close to half a century. A brief look at the previous entries shows good company:
• Sunil Gavaskar 221, The Oval, 1979 – India closed ten runs shy of 438 in the fourth innings, Gavaskar batting eight hours against Ian Botham and Bob Willis.
• Rahul Dravid 217, The Oval, 2002 – a double-ton spread across two days that ensured a drawn series.
• Sachin Tendulkar 193, Headingley, 2002 – three sixes in fading light set up an innings victory.
• Ravi Shastri 187, The Oval, 1990 – 436 balls of resistance after being promoted to open.
None of those knocks came in winning causes on English turf, yet all have grown in stature. Gill’s effort still needs the match result to lend it context, but technique and temperament already invite comparison. Commentator Alison Mitchell noted on air that the right-hander “played the ball late all day, almost as if he were batting in Delhi rather than Birmingham”.
Technically little has changed since his maiden tour here in 2021; the difference lies in shot selection. He waited for the bowlers, rarely the other way round, and the wagon wheel is a neat half-moon of clips, cuts and the occasional straight drive. The only mis-step came on 261 when he briefly lost sight of a bouncer, top-edged it over the keeper, then smiled as if to say that was quite enough risk for one afternoon.
England’s attack, missing an injured James Anderson, offered spells of hostility but leaked boundaries whenever lengths strayed. Ollie Robinson’s fuller experiment was picked off, Mark Wood’s extra pace steered behind square. By the time India declared on 550 for 6, the home side looked weary rather than beaten; they know records mean little if a Test is drawn.
Still, the score matters historically. Gavaskar held the previous best for 46 years; Dravid and Tendulkar never quite got there; Virat Kohli topped out at 149. Gill, only 25 and now captain, has set a fresh number for the next generation to chase. Whether it lasts quite as long as Gavaskar’s will depend on wickets, weather and, perhaps, Gill himself. He does have another Test in Nottingham next week.
For now, Edgbaston belongs to him.
