Shubman Gill sets this massive captaincy record in Tests
What's the story
India's Test captain Shubman Gill has added another feather to his cap. He now has the most runs for an Indian captain in a bilateral Test series. Gill reached the landmark on Day 1 of the 5th Test against England at The Oval, London. The Indian skipper went past legend Sunil Gavaskar with his 733rd run of the series. England earlier elected to field.
Stats
Gill goes past Gavaskar
As mentioned, Gill went past Gavaskar, who previously held the top spot on this elite list. The latter hammered a record 732 runs from six Tests while leading India in the 1978/79 West Indies series at home. Virat Kohli is the only other Indian captain with 600-plus runs in a Test series. He did that against England and Sri Lanka.
Record
Most runs by a captain in away Test series
In the first session, Gill attained another feat. He now has the most runs by a captain in an away Test series. The Indian captain went past Sir Garfield Sobers, who slammed 722 runs while leading West Indies in the 1966 England series. Former South African skipper Graeme Smith is the only other player with 700-plus runs in this regard (714 in England, 2003).
Series
Record-breaking series for Gill
Gill has broken a ton of records in his debut Test series as captain. He hammered an incredible ton (147) on captaincy debut, at Headingley. He followed it up with record-breaking scores of 269 and 161 at Edgbaston. Gill then slammed another ton (103) at Old Trafford. He currently owns the joint-most hundreds in a Test series as captain, with Donald Bradman and Gavaskar.