The Indian dressing room had braced for Yashasvi Jaiswal’s third double ton in Test cricket when India resumed their innings at 318/2 on Saturday (October 11) night. The opener had just added a couple
of runs to his account when an ugly mix-up with captain Shubman Gill led to his dismissal on 175 – against the run of play.
Jaiswal was fuming while Gill had the guilt in his eyes for not responding to his partner’s call.
That moment would have ruffled any set batter – but not Gill. The Indian skipper put the moment on the back burner and when about toying with the West Indies’ field plans. The Indian skipper turned ruthless, powering India to a dominant 518 with an unbeaten hundred.
More than the milestone, it was his precision through the innings that was the hallmark of his innings against an undercooked Windies attack. He would go over the top when the field was brought up; even if a fielder blocked the off-side, he would nonchalantly play down the opposite direction to garner a boundary.
Missed with the onslaught, his counterpart, Roston Chase, had to keep fielders stationed close to the boundary line. But Gill proceeded to rotate strike at will and pick up easy singles and doubles.
Flicks, cuts, and drives flowed freely whenever the West Indies bowlers erred in their lengths. Gill even danced down the track to showcase his controlled lofted shots at times – a six each to Justin Greaves and Chase was a beautiful display of that.
By stumps on Day 2, Gill had fully atoned for his morning lapse with a composed and commanding knock. Healthy partnerships with Jaiswal, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Dhruv Jurel kept India firmly in control as the host posted 518/5, adding 200 runs to their overnight score.
2025 – The year of Gill
For the Gill critics, or the trolls, the moniker of ‘Prince’ given to him by his fans might seem a bit exaggerated, but the fact is, the year 2025 has treated Gill like one. 10 months ago, it felt practically unreal when the 26-year-old’s name surfaced as a potential successor of Rohit Sharma, ahead of KL Rahul and Jasprit Bumrah.
However, the England tour put all uncertainties to rest. Gill emerged as the best Indian skipper in terms of scoring runs on English soil. The dominance has now carried at home, against the West Indies.
After the Ahmedabad fifty, the Indian skipper roared with his 10th Test hundred in New Delhi on Saturday, stamping his authority in Test cricket.
He is currently leading the charts as the highest run-getter in Test cricket in this calendar year with 966 runs. If India bat in the second innings, he stands a chance to breach the 1000-run mark, even as two matches – against South Africa – are still lined up in the second half of November.
Notably, his average in Tests has spiked from 30-odd to over 75 since succeeding Rohit as India’s Test captain. Gill carried his bat on Saturday, returning unbeaten on 129. It was only the second time that he remained unbeaten in an innings after scoring a hundred.
Gill goes past Rohit
It was his first home Test as India captain when he scored a fifty in Ahmedabad. During the same fixture, it was announced that he has replaced Rohit in the ODIs as well, and Australia will be his first assignment.
The Ahmedabad fifty had already put him ahead of Rohit as India’s top scorer in the World Test Championship (WTC). On Thursday morning, he secured a second consecutive fifty in this series, which he eventually converted into his 10th Test hundred, going past his predecessor.
While Rohit retired with 12 Test hundreds in 67 matches, Gill notched his 10th at Kotla in only his 38th Test on Saturday and became the batter with the most hundreds in WTC for India. Rohit scored nine in this tenure.
Gill’s knock also made him the fastest Indian captain to score five Test hundreds in a calendar year, achieving the feat in just 12 innings. He joined an illustrious group that includes Virat Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar.
Deputy Jadeja all praise for his captain
Gill’s consistency in the longest format and the audacity with which he has filled the Indian dressing room with positivity is something that did not go amiss with the most senior player in the team, vice-captain Ravindra Jadeja. Speaking about Gill’s brilliance, Jadeja said that Gill’s progress is a good sign for Indian cricket.
“As a captain, he’s been performing really well. It’s been a big boost for the team. He did well in the England series, scored a fifty in the first Test here too,” Jadeja told the reporters in the post-match press conference.
“I think this new generation of players – like [Sai] Sudharsan and Jaiswal – they all take responsibility. In the past two years, Jaiswal has scored plenty of runs. That’s the difference now: youngsters don’t rely on others; they take ownership.”
“It’s a good sign for Indian cricket that they’re already developing the habit of playing long innings. That’ll help the team in the long run,” he added.
Gill’s rapid rise reflects not only his exceptional form but also his growing maturity as a leader. His consistency and hunger for runs have made him the poster boy of India’s Test set-up
