India captain Shubman Gill continued his dominance with the bat in the ongoing 2nd Test against England at the Edgbaston Cricket Ground in Birmingham. Gill, who scored a record-breaking 269 in the first innings, slammed a half-century in the second innings, as India stretched their lead to over 400 in the second session. During his knock, Gill registered yet another record, leaving Virat Kohli behind in the process. Gill now has the most runs by an Indian batter in his debut series as captain.

He went past Kohli’s tally of 449 runs which he achieved during the Tour of Australia in 2014-15, having taken over the captaincy from MS Dhoni halfway into the series. He only led India in two matches.

Most runs by an India batter in debut series as captain

459* – Shubman Gill vs ENG (Away, 2025, 4 innings)

449 – Virat Kohli vs AUS (Away, 2014/15, 4 innings)

347 – Vijay Hazare vs ENG (Home, 1951/52, 7 innings)

319 – Nari Contractor vs PAK (Home, 1960/61, 6 innings)

305 – Dilip Vengsarkar vs WI (Home, 1987/88, 5 innings)

303 – Mohammad Azharuddin vs NZ (Away, 1989/90, 4 innings)

India are chasing history at Edgbaston, having yet to win a Test here in eight previous apperances. They have lost seven times while the other game ended in a draw all the way back in 1986.

However, former Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara said India should be bold in deciding if they are willing to take the risk of going for a win.

“England will go for a chase of 450, 500, so India could be fearful of that. But that also gives you more opportunities to take wickets. Ultimately, the captain and coach have to be aligned that it is okay to risk losing – however remote that is – to be able to win. I would like to see them dangle England a little carrot.”