Shubman Gill stands on the brink of rewriting Indian Test history as he closes in on a record once held by Sunil Gavaskar.


The current series of India vs West Indies Test has taken a dramatic twist with Shubman Gill being on the brink of doing something great. The second and last Test is currently being contested at Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi following the crushing victory of India by an innings and 140 at Ahmedabad. Gill is now leading by example and he has the best chance of notching his name with the legends of Indian cricket. Should he hit 196 runs in this Test, he would not only break the record of Sunil Gavaskar but also become the youngest Indian captain to get 1000 Test runs in a career a feat that will see a new dawn in the leadership of Indian cricket.
Pursuing something a Legend possesses.
Sunil Gavaskar has made his mark in the golden history of the Indian cricketing history as one of the most consistent and technically gifted batsmen ever. As the captain of the Test team, Gavaskar is the only man to score the 1000 Test runs fastest in India in only 15 innings; a feat that has not been matched over decades. And here Shubman Gill is knocking today at that same door, and he is but 26 years old. Since assuming the Test captaincy Gill has collected 804 runs in 11 innings with a superb average of 73.09. He has recorded 4 centuries, 1 double century and a fifty with a career best score of 269 runs. Assuming that he maintains this format in the Delhi Test he may be the youngest Indian Test captain to make 1000 runs in fewer innings than Gavaskar.
A Contemporary Leader of Red-Ball Cricket.
The emergence of Gill as a Test captain in India is a change of generation. His even tempered and modern play with strokes has also helped him adjust to the pressure of being a captain very well. His ability to bat under the pressure, especially in the World Test Championship 2025-27 cycle, is mature at this young age. Gill has already accumulated 804 runs in 6 matches of this cycle with an average of 73.09 which goes to show that he is consistent in the different formats. An even better part of this journey is that Gill has managed to blend sharpness with grace, something that India has been able to experience with very few captains and yet. His leadership has made a young Indian team more confident in its quest to take the world cricket by storm in any conditions.
A Step Away Making Indian Cricket History.
To surpass the record of Sunil Gavaskar would not only be a personal milestone to Shubman Gill but also the development of Indian cricket. The achievement would put Gill in exalted company of other stars such as Sir Don Bradman who remains the world record holder in the fastest 1000 Test runs as a captain in only 11 innings. Although Gill did not have an opportunity to do what Bradman had done in the world, making him surpass Gavaskar would be a giant feat. Gill stepping the mark will become a part of the list of legends of Indian cricketing, and it will be proved that the new generation is prepared to continue with the proud history of the country in Test cricket.
In Pursuit of More Than a Record.
Other than Gavaskar, Shubman Gill also has an opportunity to record World Test Championship (WTC). In the case he runs 196 at this Test, he will be the first player to reach 1000 runs in the current WTC 2025-27 cycle. He might also be part of an exclusive club of Indians he has been one among those who have scored above 1000 runs in one season in WTC- Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, and Yashasvi Jaiswal. Indian record Yashasvi Jaiswal is currently on the Indian record of 1798 runs in the 2023-25 cycle. Provided that Gill has survived in his form, he would be in a position to break the all-time WTC single season record against Joe Root, who hit 1968 runs in the 2023-25 season.