Shubman Gill ‘almost a carbon copy of that genius’ Virat Kohli, says Jonathan Trott as India captain takes England by storm
Regardless of what happens in the second Test between India and England at Edgbaston, Shubman Gill’s performance would be one that will be spoken about for years to come. The Indian captain broke a plethora of records in the first innings by scoring 269 in 387 balls and then went on to break some more by smashing 161 in just 162 balls in the second innings. All of this comes after he scored 147 in the first innings of the first Test.
Gill played at No.4 at Edgbaston, as opposed to No.3 at Headingley, and former England batter Jonathan Trott felt that he looked like a carbon copy of the previous incumbent at the former position, Virat Kohli. “I honestly feel privileged to be here and witness that innings,” said Trott on Star Sports on Gill’s second innings masterclass.
Gill kept up with the demand of the match situation in which India needed to score quickly, hitting 13 fours and eight sixes in his innings. He is only the second Indian man after Sunil Gavaskar to score a double century and a century in the same Test. Gill also broke Gavaskar’s record for most runs by an Indian batter in a Test match.
Shubman Gill becomes only the second Indian man after Sunil Gavaskar and 9th overall to record a double century and century in the same Test.
Only the second batter to achieve the feat in the World Test Championship after Marnus Labuschagne.#INDvENG
— Lalith Kalidas (@lal__kal) July 5, 2025
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‘Can’t recall him giving the English bowlers a single chance’
“I can’t recall him giving the English bowlers even a single chance. The way he shifted gears — hitting sixes at will — without slogging, just pure cricket shots, was something special. Today, he showed how complete a batter he is. It reminded me of the previous Indian number four — almost a carbon copy of that genius. I don’t think he could’ve dreamed of a better start to his first two Tests on this tour. Sure, he’d have liked to win at Headingley, but now he’s hopefully set up a fantastic victory here tomorrow,” said Trott.
Gill’s start to the series has left him with a scarcely believable tally of 585 runs just four innings into the five-match series. This means that he has Gavaskar’s record for most runs by an Indian in a Test series (774) well in sight. He also broke MS Dhoni’s record for most sixes by an Indian Test captain in an innings and a match.
