NEW DELHI: Shubman Gill burst into an animated celebration after Mohammed Siraj dismissed Joe Root during a crucial phase of the match. The Indian Test captain charged toward Siraj, pointing at him in a way that clearly signaled their well-executed plan had worked perfectly. But the joy was short-lived. Root immediately reviewed the decision, and the DRS showed a faint edge was missing — the on-field call was overturned, and the former England skipper survived.
Watching Gill’s exuberance, former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar couldn’t help but draw comparisons. He said Gill’s reaction reminded him of someone familiar — someone who used to bat at No. 4. Without naming him, the hint was obvious: Virat Kohli.
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!“Who is this — Shubman Gill or someone else?” Manjrekar said on air.
“When he bats, he seems so calm, composed — a completely different personality. Captain Gill, we are seeing this version for the first time. His celebration… it reminded me of someone, but I’m struggling to place it. MS Dhoni never celebrated like that from mid-on, and it’s definitely not Rohit Sharma’s style. Could be a No. 4 batter... My third guess would be Ajit Wadekar,” he added, sparking laughter in the commentary box, with Varun Aaron and Navjot Singh Sidhu joining in.
Gill’s day wasn’t just about fiery reactions. It was also a record-setting one.
The 24-year-old became only the fifth Indian to score a century on Test captaincy debut, joining the elite company of Sunil Gavaskar, Virat Kohli, Vijay Hazare, and Dilip Vengsarkar. His composed 100 came off 140 balls, laced with 14 boundaries, anchoring India to a strong position.
This match also marked the start of the 2025–27 World Test Championship cycle for both teams, and Gill made the occasion count. He also crossed the 2,000-run milestone in Test cricket, achieving the landmark in his 60th innings — the same match in which Virat Kohli also reached 2,000 runs during his captaincy debut.
Gill now becomes the 23rd player to score a hundred in his first Test as captain, and the fourth youngest to do so, behind Herbie Taylor, Alastair Cook, and Steve Smith.
His act in the commentary box led to big laughter among other commentators, including Varun Aaron and Navjot Singh Sidhu.
Gill joins the elite list of Indians, which includes Sunil Gavaskar, Virat Kohli, Vijay Hazare and Dilip Vengsarkar to score 100 on Test captaincy debut. This is also the start of the 2025-27 World Test Championship (WTC) cycle for both nations.
Gill also completed 2000 runs in Test cricket, the batter took 60 innings to achieve this feat. Both Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli completed 2000 Test runs in their first match as captain.
Gill is the 23rd player to score a century in a debut innings as captain and the fourth youngest among those behind Herbie Taylor, Alastair Cook, and Steven Smith.
Gill brought up his 100 in 140 deliveries in an innings peppered with 14 boundaries as he kept India steady.
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