Batters with centuries in maiden innings as India's Test captain
What's the story
Shubman Gill made a stunning start to his Test captaincy career by scoring a century in his first innings as skipper. The right-handed batter achieved this feat during the first Test match against England at Headingley, Leeds. Making a Test debut as captain is indeed a special moment in any cricketer's career. The pressure of the responsibility makes it even more special. Here we look at the Indian batters who clocked hundreds in their maiden Test innings as captain.
#1
Vijay Hazare - 164* vs England, Delhi (1951)
Vijay Hazare was the first Indian skipper to accomplish this feat as he made a stunning hundred against England in the 1951 Delhi Test. Batting at number four, Hazare scored an unbeaten 164, his highest score in Test cricket. Thanks to this knock, India posted a total of 418/6 while batting second and the match ended in a draw. Hazare still boasts the highest score by an Indian batter on their Test captaincy debut.
#2
Sunil Gavaskar - 116 vs New Zealand, Auckland (1976)
Sunil Gavaskar's stint as India's Test captain also started on a high note. The opener scored a solid 116 against New Zealand in the 1976 Auckland Test. His innings included 15 fours and one six, giving India a strong start against New Zealand's first innings total of 266/10. The visitors eventually finished at 414/10 and later won the contest by eight wickets.
#3
Virat Kohli - 115 vs Australia, Adelaide (2014)
Virat Kohli is the only Indian captain to slam twin tons on their Test captaincy debut. He scored a brilliant 184-ball 115 against Australia in the second innings of the 2014 Adelaide Test (12 fours). Kohli backed his hundred with a score of 141 in the fourth innings. Chasing a tough 364-run target, India lost by just 48 runs as Kohli led the team from the front.
#4
Shubman Gill - 147 vs England, Leeds (2025)
Gill is the latest entrant on this list, having scored an impressive 147 against England in the first innings of the Headingley Test. His innings came off 227 balls and included 19 boundaries and one six as India posted 471/10 batting first. This was his sixth Test century and a maiden one outside Asia. Gill batted at number four, a position previously held by Kohli. Meanwhile, he took over the captaincy from Rohit Sharma.