Shubman Gill marked his home captaincy in style, becoming the first Indian skipper in 47 years to score a half-century on debut.
The elegant right-hander reached 50 off 91 balls on Day 2 of India’s first Test against the West Indies at the Narendra Modi Stadium, sealing the milestone with a single off Khary Pierre in the 56th over.
With this innings, Gill joined former India captain Sunil Gavaskar in an exclusive club.
Gavaskar had achieved the feat back in 1978 against the West Indies at Wankhede Stadium, going on to score a commanding 205 in that match.
Gill, however, was unable to convert his start into a century. He was dismissed on the final delivery of the 57th over by Roston Chase after attempting a reverse sweep. The ball struck the bat sticker, lobbed into the air, and fell into the hands of slip fielder Justin Greaves for a straightforward catch. This marked the second instance in Tests where Gill has fallen to a spinner while trying a reverse sweep.