Shubman Gill, Team India’s new Test skipper, made a big statement with a century on Day 1 of the first Test against England at Headingley in Leeds. India is playing England in a five-match Test series.
Shubman Gill took over as captain prior to the England Test series when players such as Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli announced their retirements from the format. The 25-year-old demonstrated his ability to lead from the front in his debut batting innings as Test captain.
After Steven Smith, Alastair Cook, and Herbie Taylor, Shubman Gill became the fourth youngest player to reach a century in his first innings as Test captain and the 23rd player overall.
Shubman Gill also became a member of an elite group of Indian batters with this ton. Only four Indians had previously achieved a century in their first Test match as skipper before him. Nevertheless, these five Indian batsmen achieved a century in their maiden Test match as captains.
𝐂𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧’𝐬 𝐊𝐧𝐨𝐜𝐤 𝐑𝐨𝐚𝐫𝐬 💯@ShubmanGill joins an elite list as the 4th Indian captain to score a ton on Test debut as skipper 🇮🇳
Watch Now 👉 https://t.co/PXeXAKeYoj#ENGvIND | 1st Test | LIVE NOW on JioHotstar pic.twitter.com/23rEZNKlnv
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) June 20, 20251. Shubman Gill
Shubman Gill is the most recent addition to this exclusive list, continuing the tradition. The young player has stepped up to the plate admirably since being named the new Test captain, leading from the front in the first Test match against England in Leeds.
India was asked to bat first after losing the toss. On the first day, though, the batters made sure the visitors controlled the action. Throughout the day, Shubman Gill batted with composure and poise, reaching an undefeated century and leaving his imprint in his debut innings as Test captain. He finished at 127 not out off 175 balls with 16 fours and a six.
2. Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli, the former Indian Test captain, was also made to start with a bang in the captaincy of the longest format. Recently retired captain of India in Test cricket Kohli, made his debut at the helm of the Indian team in Tests when he faced Australia in Adelaide in 2014.
Virat Kohli played his second innings with Australia on the first day and facing them was the Australian bowling in the number four position. Virat scored a century taking 184 ball offering 115 runs, smacking these to 12 boundaries. Besides, Kohli also scored yet another hundred in the second knock in the same Test, scoring 141 runs off just 175 deliveries with a total of 16 boundaries and a six, which is the reflection of his fearless style.
3. Dilip Vengsarkar
A former Indian cricketer and captain Dilip Vengsarkar is also on the list of the Indian captains who scored a century in the first Test as a captain. It was the first time Vengsarkar was captaining the Test team and it happened in the year 1987 when India were the host of the West Indian team at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi.
Vengsarkar, who came at number four in the first innings, did not make much difference as he scored only 10 runs using 39 deliveries. But in the second innings he recovered and scored a hundred. Both batsmen played in the same batting slot and he scored 102 runs in 257 balls with eight boundaries in his innings.
4. Sunil Gavaskar
Sunil Gavaskar, the likable legend of Indian cricket, a former Indian captain, and winner of the World Cup 1983, was leading the team in his debut series of leading the Indian side in the first test against New Zealand, in Auckland, 1976. During the second innings, however, Gavaskar opened the batting and we saw his class in the batting.
The Indian captain, who led from the front, made 116 runs and hit a century. He hit 15 boundaries and a six throughout his knock. Gavaskar went on to make history by smashing 34 hundreds and became the first Indian hitter to reach 10,000 runs in Test cricket.
5. Vijay Hazare
Vijay Hazare, one of the former Indian batters and Test captains, had scored a brilliant matchless century in his first Test as a captain. In 1951, India were playing with England the first Test of the series in Delhi. During their first innings Vijay Hazare their captain walked in to bat as their fourth batsman in India.
The right hander was in utter control with the bat. He smashed an unbeaten 164 to score a century, as a front runner. Hazare has played 30 Tests in which he made 2192 runs including 7 hundred and 9 half-century.
