Captain Shubman Gill is on a rampage — and rewriting the record books as he goes. Day 4 at Manchester saw him surpass Virat Kohli’s tally of most runs by an Indian batter on a SENA tour, and his dream run shows no signs of slowing.
Gill finished unbeaten at 78*, taking his series total to an astonishing 697 runs — eclipsing Kohli’s 692 from 2014‑15 in Australia, with one more day to go in the 4th Test in Manchester and a final Test looming at The Oval.
That places Gill just behind Sunil Gavaskar’s iconic 732‑run haul in the 1978‑79 West Indies series, which spanned six Tests. If his purple patch continues, Gavaskar might well have company atop that list.
With three centuries already in the series, Gill could join Don Bradman and Gavaskar in the elite club of captains who’ve hit the most hundreds in a single Test series, if he converts his current innings into a fourth on Day 5.
Earlier in the day, India recovered from a shaky start in their second innings. As KL Rahul and Gill stitched together a patient 174‑run stand, the visitors moved past early jitters after Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sai Sudarshan had fallen for ducks.
India ended Day 4 at 174/2, trailing England’s mammoth 669 by 137 runs. With Rahul unbeaten on 87 and Gill on 78, a draw would feel like a triumph for India after such dominance by the hosts.
Gill’s temperament, timing, and appetite for big runs have been on display all tour. With a final chapter at The Oval ahead, cricket lovers will be watching closely: a record chase is unfolding — and it’s one for the ages.
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