Shubman Gill's impressive 585 runs in two Tests against England has sparked discussion about Don Bradman's 974-run record. While Gill's form is exceptional, chasing this historic milestone requires sustained performance in the remaining matches.
Team India captain Shubman Gill has already grabbed the attention of the cricketing world with his impressive run of form in just the first two Tests of the ongoing five-match series against England.
Gill, who succeeded Rohit Sharma as Test captain, has led the team from the front with the bat, demonstrating his composure, flair, resilience, and grit. The 25-year-old was on a record-breaking spree in the Edgbaston Test, where Team India scripted a historic victory. With 269 and 161 across both innings of the second Test in Leeds, Shubman Gill put himself second behind Graham Gooch for the most runs in a Test match (430).
In just two Tests of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, Shubman Gill has surged ahead of other players from both teams, amassing 585 runs, including a double and two centuries, at an average of 146.25 in four innings. The current second-leading run-getter of the series is England wicketkeeper-batter Jamie Smith, with 356 runs.
Related Articles
Having already broken several records at Edgbaston and with the kind of form he's in, Shubman Gill has been touted to mount a serious challenge to surpass Don Bradman’s record of 974 runs in a single Test series.
Don Bradman’s monumental mark stands tall since 1930
The legendary batter from Australia, late. Don Bradman had been the owner of several cricketing records, including the highest Test batting average, most Test double centuries, highest first-class batting average, scoring a triple century in a day, and an unmatched tally of 974 runs in a single Test series.
In the 1930 Ashes against England, Bradman was in imperious form and the peak of his powers as he dominated the five-match series like a man playing a game of his own, piling up runs with ease and authority that bowlers appeared helpless in front of his exceptional batting prowess. The legendary batter amassed 974 runs, including 4 centuries, at an extraordinary average of 139.14 in just seven innings.
Don Bradman’s dominance in the 1930 Ashes series was such that the second-highest run-getter was 436 runs by England’s Herbert Sutcliffe, less than half of Australia's legendary batter’s colossal tally, showcasing a sheer scale of his unparalleled brilliance by then 22-year-old Bradman.
Before Don Bradman, the record for the most runs in a Test series was held by England's legendary batter Wally Hammond, amassing 905 runs, including 4 centuries, at an average of 113.12 in nine innings of the 1928/29 Ashes series against Australia.
After Bradman shattered Hammond’s record, no batter has come close to breaching the 900-run mark in a single Test series, making the Australian batting legend’s feat an everlasting symbol of batting supremacy across eras.
Is Gill on track to challenge Bradman’s record?
Shubman Gill has been quite sensational with the bat in the ongoing Test series against England, blending elegance with efficiency and cautious aggression. However, chasing Don Bradman looks like a monumental task until and unless the Indian captain continues his rich vein of form across the remaining three Tests, leveraging every opportunity to pile runs and score big.
In the ongoing England Test series, Shubman Gill has a batting average of 146.25 from just two Test matches, which seems to be a strong platform to build on if he aims to chase Bradman’s 974-run record in a Test series. The 25-year-old needs 390 runs to eclipse the legendary batter’s record in the history of Test cricket.
With 390 runs required, Shubman Gill needs to score at least 130 runs per match or 65 runs per innings on average to break Don Bradman’s 974-run record in a single Test series.
Chasing one of Don Bradman’s iconic records of all time seems to be an arduous task for Shubman Gill, who has amassed 585 runs in four innings of the ongoing Test series against England, but with three matches and potentially six more innings to go, the India captain has a golden opportunity to etch his name in the history book of records.
Shubman Gill needs to carry on his consistency and momentum into the Lord’s Test as well as the two remaining matches of the ongoing Test series to break Don Bradman’s record.
Is it too early to call it?
Shubman Gill’s sublime form has sparked an early excitement among fans to see the Indian captain break Don Bradman’s record. However, the factors like consistency, form, fitness, mental fortitude, and ability to convert into scores or daddy hundreds will have a huge role to play in Gill’s achieving the milestone.
Former India captain Dilip Vengsarkar believes that it’s too early to judge whether Shubman Gill will break Don Bradman’s record, as he needs 390 runs to surpass it, adding that the Indian skipper should not play for a personal milestone.
“Well, he is in great form, and he is an outstanding batsman. I hope he does that. I don't know whether he will do it, but I am sure that he has an opportunity. He is in great form, and he should do it, that's what I feel.” Vengsarkar said, as quoted by PTI, during an event in Mumbai
“But then, what is important is not chasing a personal milestone. Because we are obsessed with personal milestones, which is wrong. The important point is to win matches for our country,” he added.
