The Indian cricket team will play a two-match Test series at home against the reigning World Test Champions, South Africa, starting November 14. The first match of the series will be played at Eden Gardens Stadium in Kolkata.
Sports News: All eyes in the cricketing world are on the two-match Test series between India and South Africa (IND vs SA), which begins on November 14. The most talked-about player in this series is Team India's young captain, Shubman Gill, who has an opportunity to create a major world record by continuing his brilliant form with the bat.
India is hosting this series, and the first match will be played at Kolkata's historic Eden Gardens Stadium. For Gill, this series is not only crucial for his career but is also considered a stern test of his leadership as captain.
Captain Shubman Gill Has a Chance to Make History
Shubman Gill is in excellent form in 2025. The way he has refined his batting since taking on the captaincy has impressed everyone. He currently has a golden opportunity to break a 19-year-old record held by Ricky Ponting, one of the most successful captains in Test cricket history.
Ricky Ponting scored 7 centuries in 10 Test matches as Australian Test captain in 2006 — which remains the most centuries scored by any captain in a calendar year to date. Gill has so far scored 5 centuries in 13 innings across 7 Test matches in 2025. If he manages to score three more centuries in the four innings of the two matches against South Africa, he will break Ponting's record and make history.
Virat Kohli's Record Also in Danger
If Shubman Gill scores just one century in this series, he will break the record of former India captain Virat Kohli. As captain, Virat Kohli scored 5 Test centuries each in a calendar year in 2017 and 2018. Gill currently stands level with him, and by scoring one more century against South Africa, he will become India's most successful Test captain-batsman.
Shubman Gill's past record against South Africa has not been particularly impressive. He has played 2 Test matches against this team so far, with an average of just 18.50 and a total of only 74 runs. Both these matches were during the tour of South Africa at the end of 2023, where Indian batsmen faced significant difficulties due to fast bowling and bounce.
However, since then, Gill has improved both his technique and mindset. In 2025, his average is 78.83, and he has scored 946 runs so far. This performance places him among the top run-scorers this year.
