Team India's young captain, Shubman Gill, created history in the Headingley Test match against England. Assuming the new responsibility of captaincy, Shubman grabbed everyone's attention by smashing a magnificent century in his Test captaincy debut match.
Ind vs Eng First Test 2025: A new era in Indian cricket began under Shubman Gill's captaincy, and he delivered a batting performance in his first leadership test that captivated cricket lovers. In the first Test match at Headingley against England, Shubman Gill made his captaincy debut memorable by scoring a stunning century. Gill not only propelled the team to a b position but also etched his name in history.
Century on Captaincy Debut: Sixth Test Century
Gill batted with tremendous confidence and maturity, scoring 127 runs off 175 balls, including 16 fours and a six. This was his sixth Test century, achieved in his 34th Test match. Most notably, this century came in his very first Test match as captain, making him the youngest Indian player to score a century on his Test captaincy debut.
Prior to him, this rare feat was achieved by Vijay Hazare, Sunil Gavaskar, and Virat Kohli, but Gill has set a new record in terms of age.
A Stormy Fifty and a Composed Century
Gill completed his fifty in just 56 balls, the fastest half-century of his Test career. While he was initially aggressive, he displayed remarkable composure and maturity as he neared his century. Gill's innings was a perfect example of a balance between aggression and patience. This was especially crucial after India lost two wickets at 92 runs.
KL Rahul (42) and debutant Sai Sudharsan (0) had already returned to the pavilion, and the team needed a stable and reliable innings. Shubman Gill accepted this challenge and, along with Yashasvi Jaiswal, forged a third-wicket partnership of 123 runs, blunting the edge of England's bowling attack.
In the second session, both batsmen displayed such dominance that England's bowlers yearned for wickets. Yashasvi scored a century (101 runs), but even after his dismissal, Gill's patience did not waver.
Strong Partnership with Rishabh Pant
After Yashasvi Jaiswal's dismissal, Rishabh Pant joined Gill at the crease and together they pushed the score past 300. They formed an unbeaten fourth-wicket partnership of 138 runs. Pant also scored a half-century (65 runs) further strengthening the team's position. Under Gill's captaincy, this partnership built not only runs but also confidence – a confidence that will resonate within the team and amongst fans for a long time to come.
England captain Ben Stokes won the toss and opted to bowl first, but the Indian batsmen overturned this decision, putting pressure on England from the very first day. At the end of Day 1, India had reached 359 for 3 wickets, firmly seizing control of the match.
