ENG vs IND: 700 Runs and Not Done Yet – Shubman Gill Silences Ben Duckett's Lord's Jibe at Old Trafford

Shubman Gill scored 103 at Old Trafford, silencing Ben Duckett’s “600 and done” jibe by taking his tally to 722 runs. He equalled Gary Sobers’ record and is now eyeing Gavaskar’s 732 and Bradman’s 810 for most runs by a Test captain in a series.

Team India captain Shubman Gill returned to his form at a time when he was needed the most by the side in the ongoing fourth Test of the five-match series against England at Old Trafford in Manchester.

After poor outings in the last three innings, including 12 runs in the first innings at Old Trafford that halted his golden run earlier in the series, Gill returned to form with a classy and resilient half-century in a crucial situation for Team India. The 25-year-old played a gritty innings of 78 off 167 balls, stitching an unbeaten 174-run stand for the third wicket with KL Rahul, who scored 87 off 210 balls, to guide the visitors to 174/2 and trail by 137 runs at the end of Day 4.

Shubman Gill’s return to form was all the more significant for India as it came at a time when the visitors were reeling at 0/2 following quick dismissals of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sai Sudharsan in the second innings, and facing a mounting pressure after England posted a first-innings total of 669 and looked poised to take an innings victory for unassailable 3-1 series lead.

700 runs and still counting

Shubman Gill had a brilliant start to the England Test series, amassing 585 runs, including two centuries and a double century, at an average of 146 in four innings. However, there was a halt in his momentum in the next three innings as he could score only 34 runs, and his batting average in this series plummeted below 90.

A sudden dip in form after a golden run raised concerns among fans and experts alike, with questions surfacing over Gill’s consistency and ability to play on the surface, which has an extreme seam movement. However, the 25-year-old responded to the concerns with a crucial century, which is his fourth, and completed 700 runs in the ongoing series.

With 700 runs in a Test series against England, Shubman Gill became the second Indian batter after Sunil Gavaskar (1971 and 1978/79 against West Indies) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (2024 against England) to breach the 700-run mark in a single Test series.

With 78-run innings at the end of Day 4, Shubman Gill has surpassed Virat Kohli’s record for the most runs as an Indian captain in the Test series on a single SENA Tour. Kohli amassed 692 runs, including 4 centuries and a fifty, at an average of 86.50 in five matches against Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2014/15. At the close of Day 4 play, Gill's tally of runs in the ongoing Test series stood at 697 runs in 8 innings and was just three runs short of completing the 700-run landmark.

Shubman Gill gives a fitting reply to Ben Duckett

Shubman Gill completing 700 runs in the ongoing Test series against England is not only another milestone of his red-ball career, but also a fitting reply to England skipper Ben Duckett, who mocked him for being done with the series with 600 runs.

The incident took place in the second innings of the Lord’s Test when India were chasing a 193-run target and Gill walked in to bat at 41/2. Gill had a poor outing in the first innings, where he was dismissed for 16 runs. As the Indian captain was taking the crease, Ben Duckett gave a verbal punch to him, mocking him for his previous outing.

“600 runs and he's done for this series. 600 runs is enough for this fella." Duckett told his teammates, aimed at Gill.

However, Shubman Gill turned that jibe into motivation, responding in the best possible way, piling on the runs and completing 700 runs in the second innings of the ongoing Manchester Test, a powerful statement that he’s far from done.

Shubman Gill equals Gary Sobers’ record in the England Test series

Shubman Gill’s gritty yet classy innings came to an end after he was dismissed for 103 off 238 balls by Jofra Archer. Apart from completing 700 runs in the England Test series, Gill has equalled the legendary West Indies record of 722 runs as a captain in the Test series against England.

However, Shubman Gill fell 11 runs short of surpassing Sunil Gavaskar’s record of 732 runs as an Indian captain in a Test series. The 25-year-old is likely to break the Indian record in the fifth and final Test of the series at The Oval, which will start on July 31. Moreover, Gill ended a 35-year drought of a Test century by an Indian batter at Old Trafford. The last Indian batter to score a century at the venue was none other than Sachin Tendulkar in 1990

If Shubman Gill continues his excellent run of form in the series finale, he can even go on to break legendary Don Bradman’s record for the most runs as a captain in a Test series. Bradman amassed 810 runs, including 3 centuries and a fifty, at an average of 90 in the 1936/37 Ashes series against England.