India’s Test captain Shubman Gill turned 26 on Monday.
This milestone arrives with the weight of leadership and the promise of more runs in the bank. From being the boy wonder of Punjab cricket to the face of India’s batting future, Gill has grown into a dependable run-machine and now, a leader of men.
'113 International Games, 6000 International Runs, 18 International Hundreds, 2025 ICC Champions Trophy-winner. Here's wishing Shubman Gill - #TeamIndia's Test captain and the ODI & T20I vice-captain - a very happy birthday! ' BCCI tweeted on their X handle.
Gill's journey began in 2017, when a teenage batter announced himself with a fifty on first-class debut and a century in the very next outing. His precocious stroke play earned him the vice-captaincy of India’s U-19 World Cup squad in 2018, where he walked away with the Player of the Tournament award. His unbeaten hundred in the semifinal against Pakistan remains a lasting memory of that campaign.
That same year, Kolkata Knight Riders snapped him up for ₹1.8 crore at the IPL auction, and the big stage has never looked too daunting since. Gill’s defining moment in India colours came during the 2019-20 Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia, where his 91 at the Gabba set the tone for a historic series triumph.
Milestones have kept piling on -- his first Test hundred in Chattogram, a double hundred in ODIs at the age of 23, and a run-glut during the 2023 home World Cup.
He has since matured into a complete three-format player: 2,647 runs in 37 Tests at 41.35, 2,775 runs in 55 ODIs at a Bradmanesque 59.04, and 578 runs in 21 T20Is.
The crowning moment came earlier this year when he lifted the Champions Trophy before being handed the Test captaincy baton after Rohit Sharma’s retirement. A 2-2 draw in England on debut as skipper hinted at greater battles ahead.
For now, though, Gill is back in familiar territory as Suryakumar Yadav’s deputy in the Asia Cup, beginning Tuesday. With Pakistan waiting on September 14, his form and temperament will once again be under the spotlight.
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