Shubman Gill misses out on historic national record by just 21 runs in England tour
Shubman Gill scored 754 runs in five innings during the Test series against England, falling just 21 runs short of Sunil Gavaskar’s long-standing record of 774 runs, the most by an Indian in a Test series, set against West Indies in 1970–71.
Shubman Gill played some phenomenal cricket in the ongoing England tour. Ahead of the five-match series, there were plenty of doubts about his form in overseas conditions. Despite so, the team management and the selectors named him the new Test captain, and so far, the 25-year-old has lived up to all expectations. With the bat, he led from the front, and as far as captaincy goes, Gill can be a long-term prospect.
Notably, Gill finished the series with 754 runs in five innings. Throughout the series, he broke several records and was very close to breaking Sunil Gavaskar’s record for most runs by an Indian in a Test series, but fell only 21 runs short. The former India international holds the record for scoring 774 runs against West Indies in the 1970-71 season. Youngster Yashasvi Jaiswal came close to the record in the 2023-24 series against England at home, when he made 712 runs.
Most runs by an Indian in a Test series:
| Player | Runs | Series | Year |
| Sunil Gavaskar | 774 | West Indies vs India | 1970-71 |
| Shubman Gill | 754 | England vs India | 2025 |
| Sunil Gavaskar | 732 | India vs West Indies | 1978-79 |
| Yashasvi Jaiswal | 712 | India vs England | 2024 |
| Virat Kohli | 692 | Australia vs India | 2014-15 |
Jaiswal ends series with century
India desperately needed a top order batter to keep going and strengthen their lead in the third innings of the fifth Test. With KL Rahul and Sai Sudharsan departing early, the pressure fell on Jaiswal, who thrived with the bat. The 23-year-old was lucky on multiple occasions as England cricketers dropped several chances on the field, and that helped him touch the three-figure mark.
It was his sixth century in Test cricket. Apart from that, Akash Deep, who was promoted as nightwatchman on Day 3, went on to score a brilliant half-century, which released some pressure from Jaiswal. He made 66 runs off 94 balls and became the second Indian nightwatchman to score a half-century in this century.
Meanwhile, India already extended their lead to over 250 runs and will be hoping to add another 100 at least to post a defendable total on the board.