Shubman Gill has surpassed Sunil Gavaskar’s record for the most runs scored by an Indian captain in a bilateral Test series. The Indian captain broke Gavaskar’s 46-year-old record during the ongoing fifth Test against England at The Oval, London. England, led by Ollie Pope in this match, won the toss and chose to bowl first.
Ahead of the game, both teams made four changes to their playing XI. For India, Karun Nair, Prasidh Krishna, Dhruv Jurel, and Akash Deep came in, replacing Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Rishabh Pant, and Anshul Kamboj.
On day one’s first session, India quickly lost two wickets—Yashasvi Jaiswal (2) and KL Rahul (14)—and found themselves struggling at 38 for two. However, captain Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan steadied the innings before rain forced the umpires to call for an early lunch break.
Shubman Gill Breaks Sunil Gavaskar’s 46-Year-Old Record at The Oval Test
Gill remained unbeaten with 15 runs in the first session, surpassing Indian batting legend Sunil Gavaskar’s record for the most runs scored by an Indian captain in a bilateral Test series. Gavaskar had scored 732 runs during the 1978-79 Test series against the West Indies, a mark Gill has now exceeded in the current series.
Following Gill and Gavaskar, Virat Kohli holds the third-highest runs scored as India’s captain in a Test series, having scored over 600 runs twice during his captaincy career.
Most runs by an Indian captain in a bilateral test series
| Runs | Player | Opponent | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 733* | Shubman Gill | England | 2025 |
| 732 | Sunil Gavaskar | West Indies | 1978/79 |
| 655 | Virat Kohli | England | 2016 |
| 610 | Virat Kohli | Sri Lanka | 2017 |
| 593 | Virat Kohli | England | 2018 |
Gill has scored four centuries and is the top run-scorer in the ongoing series against England. In the last Test at Manchester, the right-handed batsman played a vital century in the second innings, helping his team secure a draw.
Meanwhile, England currently lead the five-match Test series 2-1. Their captain, Ben Stokes, was ruled out of the fifth Test due to a shoulder injury. England has also rested Jofra Archer, Brydon Carse, and Liam Dawson for the match.
