After stunning knocks of 269 and 161, Shubman Gill sets multiple records and wins accolades from Indian bowling coach for “exceptional” leadership and form
Birmingham [UK], July 6 — Shubman Gill’s record-breaking Birmingham Test against England has not only drawn awe from fans and pundits but also earned high praise from Indian bowling coach Morne Morkel, who lauded the young captain’s leadership and sensational batting display. With twin knocks of 269 and 161, Gill amassed a staggering 430 runs, the second-highest aggregate in a single Test match in history, only behind Graham Gooch’s 456 at Lord’s in 1990.
Morkel, speaking at the post-day press conference, acknowledged the massive expectations on Gill’s shoulders and commended the Indian skipper for responding in the best possible manner—by delivering a batting performance for the ages.
“Very happy for Shubman as captain on a big tour coming to England to play over here. Big crowds, a lot of expectation on his shoulders, and I think he has handled it very well so far,” said Morkel.
“He has been very confident walking around, sort of in the training, connecting well with the guys. And then as a captain and leader, you need to go in the middle and produce the goods, and I think so far he has been exceptional.”
Gill’s first innings knock of 269 came off 387 deliveries and included 30 boundaries and three sixes. It was a display of patience and technical mastery that exhausted the English bowling unit. In contrast, his second innings blitzkrieg—161 off 162 balls with 13 fours and 8 sixes—showcased his aggression and intent to dominate.
This epic Test outing made Gill only the second batter in Test history after Allan Border (150* & 153) to register 150-plus scores in both innings of a Test match. He also became the first player ever to record both a 250-plus and 150-plus score in the same Test.
Notably, Gill has now surpassed Virat Kohli’s 243 and 50 to post the highest run aggregate by an Indian captain in a single Test, toppling the record Kohli set against Sri Lanka in 2017.
Gill also joined an elite group of cricketers—becoming only the second Indian after Sunil Gavaskar to register a double century and century in the same Test. Gavaskar achieved this feat in 1971 against the West Indies.
Other legendary batters to achieve this include Greg Chappell, Graham Gooch, Brian Lara, Kumar Sangakkara, KD Walters, RG Lowe, and Marnus Labuschagne.
His latest performance also places him among the greats of the Asian continent:
- Only second Asian batter to score 350+ aggregate runs in a Test outside the subcontinent, after Hanif Mohammad.
- Only third Asian batter to score 300+ runs in a Test in SENA countries (South Africa, England, New Zealand, Australia), after Dravid and Tendulkar.
- Just the third Indian captain to score 100+ in both innings of a Test, after Gavaskar and Kohli.
Additionally, Gill joins Kohli as the only two players to score three centuries in their first two Tests as captain, underlining the dream start to his leadership tenure.
Morne Morkel concluded:
“Getting the scores and now here back-to-back. So yeah, that is great for your captain if you confront that because the rest will follow. So yeah, happy for him.”
As India pushes forward in the series, Shubman Gill’s extraordinary performance at Edgbaston will be remembered as a defining moment in both his batting career and captaincy journey.