In a year that has marked a turning point for Indian cricket, Shubman Gill has emerged as the face of a new era. The 26 year old is calm, commanding, and ruthlessly consistent.
His unbeaten 129 in Delhi wasn't just another century; it was history etched in numbers and intent.
Five centuries in just 12 innings, 933 runs at an average of 74, and a strike rate that reflects both control and aggression.
In the process, the young captain equalled Virat Kohli's record for the most Test centuries by an Indian skipper in a calendar year and became the country's leading scorer in the World Test Championship.
Gill's rise is emblematic of India's generational shift. When Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli stepped away from Test cricket earlier this year, the mantle of leadership fell squarely on his shoulders amid questions of readiness.
Gill has taken to captaincy like a fish to water, answering every doubt with sheer performance.
Unlike Kohli's fiery intensity or Rohit's composed calm, Gill blends serenity with calculated aggression.
Beyond the numbers, Gill's batting in 2025 reveals a new dimension: The patience to build an innings, the control to defend under pressure, and the instinct to seize key moments.
At just 26, Gill has already achieved what many captains spend a decade chasing. His leadership and form have given Indian Test cricket a renewed identity. With 966 runs and five centuries in 2025 alone, the numbers tell part of the story.
The larger narrative is of a cricketer stepping fully into his prime, carrying forward the legacy of India's batting greats while shaping a new chapter in the country's Test future.
Shubman Gill isn't just India's captain; he is now the standard-bearer of modern Test batsmanship. His 129* in Delhi wasn't about personal glory -- it was a statement: The post-Kohli, post-Rohit era of Indian cricket is in supremely capable hands.
And if 2025 is any indicator, Gill's name will not only be etched alongside the legends he has already matched but may soon surpass them. Take a look at the stats to showcase this:
First home century as captain
Batting on a flat Delhi pitch, Gill blended poise with purpose, his 196 ball 129 not out radiating assurance and ambition.
This was Gill's first Test hundred as India's captain on home soil, coming after a string of overseas masterclasses earlier in the year.
Having already notched four centuries during the England tour, the Delhi ton was a milestone of leadership and maturity. His innings, laced with 16 boundaries and two sixes, was a masterclass in balance with control and aggression.
Joins Virat Kohli in rare five-hundred club
With this knock, Gill joined Kohli as only the second Indian captain to score five Test centuries in a single calendar year.
Kohli had achieved the feat in 2017 and 2018; Gill matched it in just 12 innings, becoming the fastest Indian and third-fastest in the world to reach five tons in a year. Only Alastair Cook (9 innings) and Sunil Gavaskar (10 innings) have done it quicker.
Across 2025, Gill has now amassed 966 runs at an average of 74, with scores of 269, 161, 147, 103 and 129*. Among current Test cricketers, he ranks among the top run-scorers of the year.
Gill Joins Elite List of Indians with Five+ Test Centuries in a Year
Gill has etched his name among the legends of Indian cricket, becoming one of the few batters to score five or more Test centuries in a single calendar year.
He joins an illustrious list that includes Sachin Tendulkar (7 in 2010, 5 in 1999), Sunil Gavaskar (5 in 1978 and 1983), Rahul Dravid (5 in 2002 and 2011), Gundappa Vishwanath (5 in 1979), Virender Sehwag (5 in 2010), and Virat Kohli (5 in 2017 and 2018).
New leader in World Test Championship centuries
This knock takes his World Test Championship (WTC) tally to 2,826 runs in 39 matches at an average of 43.47, with a strike rate of 61.36 and 10 centuries to his name.
His highest score in the WTC remains 269, which he registered against England earlier this year during the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025.
With this century, Gill joins the elite club of players with the most centuries in WTC history, alongside England's Joe Root (21), Australia's Steve Smith (13), New Zealand's Kane Williamson (11), and Australia's Marnus Labuschagne (11).
He also surpassed Rohit Sharma, who had nine WTC hundreds, to become India's leading centurion in the competition.
In addition, Gill's 129* elevates him to the 10th highest run-scorer in WTC history. The list is led by Root (6,080 runs in 69 matches), followed by Smith (4,278 in 55), Labuschagne (4,225 in 53), England Captain Ben Stokes (3,616 in 57) and Australia Opener Travis Head (3,300 in 52).