Shubman Gill‘s clear intent has made him unstoppable in the ongoing Test series against England as he made scoring a double century look like a walk in the park in Birmingham on Thursday. Gill, playing his first match as Indian cricket team captain, shattered records at will. Having hardly put a foot wrong with the bat, Gill also ensured that India did not cede the advantage to England from a strong position like they had done in Leeds in the series opener.

When Gill reached the score of 255, he surpassed Kohli for the highest ever score by an Indian captain in Tests. Kohli had scored 254* in Pune against South Africa in 2019. Gill also broke the record of Sachin Tendulkar for the most runs by an India captain in an away series at the age of 25. Gill went past Tendulkar’s tally of 290 (1997 tour of Sri Lanka) with an unbeaten 323 runs so far.

His one-time mentor Yuvraj Singh was ecstatic.

“Take a bow @ShubmanGill! Making it look so easy on the big stage! Well played and well deserved double century an example of being unstoppable when the intent is clear,” Yuvraj wrote on his official ‘X’ handle.

The recently retired Ravichandran Ashwin hailed Gill for a “fabulous start” to his captaincy stint.

“A double for Gill. Fabulous start to his leadership stint, this would do him a world of good moving forward. It’s time for India to bat all day now,” Ashwin wrote on the micro-blogging platform.

The legendary Sachin Tendulkar, who had showered wholesome praise on Wednesday when Gill completed his century, kept it short and sweet.

“Very pleased to see the intent and commitment shown by @ShubmanGill and @imjadeja today. Well played!,” the legend wrote.

Gill’s home state unit, Punjab put out a video of his first-ever TV interview when he was barely 15 and scored 351. He was involved in a record 587-run stand with teammate Nirmal Singh playing for Mohali against Amritsar in an inter-district game.

“Yes, Shubman Gill… you didn’t just lead — you ruled. From the heart of Punjab to the soul of Indian cricket. You’ve shown the world what royalty on the pitch looks like. Not just a captain — a force, a fire, a future written in gold.

“Crowns aren’t worn — they’re earned… and today, yours shined the brightest. The prince isn’t rising anymore — he has arrived. Punjab stands proud. India stands taller,” Punjab Cricket Association posted on ‘X’.

With PTI inputs