The role of a Test captain is important to all teams worldwide, whether they are playing at home or abroad. Some of them take a step toward leaving their own legacy while consistently assisting their team in maintaining a commanding lead over the opposition.
During his 269-run knock against England at Edgbaston on Thursday, July 4, Shubman Gill set numerous records, cementing his place in history. In one of those, he recorded the greatest individual score in the longest format by an Indian captain.
Only a few number of captains have turned their beginnings into significant knocks, despite the fact that many have made significant contributions to India in Test matches. In light of this, let’s examine some of the best knocks made by Indian captains.
1. Shubman Gill – 269 vs England, 2025
Shubman Gill delivered an outstanding performance against England on Thursday, paving the way for India to win Day 2 of the current Test at Edgbaston.
When India’s scorecard showed 95/2, Gill reached the crease. The Indian captain skillfully navigated the England bowling unit throughout the innings by using his enhanced technique and self-assurance.
Shubman Gill achieved the highest individual score by an Indian in England with a hammering 269 off 387 balls. In the SENA nations, he also played the best knock ever made by an Asian skipper.
India eventually put 587 on the board thanks in large part to the backing of Ravindra Jadeja (89).
2. Virat Kohli – 254* vs South Africa, 2019
The second match of the three-match series in Pune in 2019 saw Virat Kohli’s best Test innings against South Africa.
Mayank Agarwal (108) led the Indian squad from the front, making full use of the level ground. Arriving at number four, Kohli maintained the team’s momentum with help with Ravindra Jadeja (91) and Ajinkya Rahane (59).
Ultimately, India declared on 601/5, with Kohli remaining undefeated at 254 off 336. India won by an innings and 137 runs thanks to the bowling unit’s outstanding performance in applying pressure to the Proteas.
3. Virat Kohli – 243 vs Sri Lanka, 2017
Virat Kohli has a total of six double hundreds all of which are against Sri Lanka and this puts him at number three on this desirable list. All this occurred during the third Test of the bilateral one at Delhi in December 2017.
Batting first, the Indians had a good start of 78/2 when the skipper Virat Kohli came in. The right-hander appeared to be in command at his own backyard and paraded a 283-run partnership with Murali Vijay (155).
In the end, India declared on 536/7 after Kohli hammered 243 off 287. At that point, the Sri Lankan team was completely out for 373. The hosts set a target of 410 after declaring 246/5 in the second innings. However, after finishing the match on 299/5, Sri Lanka was able to rescue a tie.
4. Virat Kohli – 235 vs England, 2016
The fourth Test of the five-match series between India and England took place in Mumbai in December 2016. An superb knock from Keaton Jennings (112) helped England reach 400 runs.
India, in their turn responded well and Murali Vijay formed significant partnerships with other leading batters of the team. Virat Kohli, the skipper, would come at No. 4 and make 116 runs along with Vijay (136).
When the other batters failed, Kohli stood firm and was later joined by Jayant Yadav (104) as the two managed to get a 241-run stump. Indian captain thumped 235 runs off 340, and saw India score a sum of 631 runs.
The visitors then lost the match by an innings and thirty-six runs after being all out for 195.
5. MS Dhoni – 224 vs Australia, 2013
In 2013, the first Test of the bilateral series between India and Australia was held at Chennai. On batting, Australia recorded 380 with Michael Clarke (130) leading the pack as a skipper.
Despite the poor start of their innings where they were at 12/2, Cheteshwar Pujara (44) and Sachin Tendulkar (81) steered the side forward. Captain MS Dhoni came in at No. 6 and they made a powerful 128 runs partnership with Virat Kohli (107).
India eventually scored a huge 572 runs after Dhoni played a spectacular knock of 224 off 265 runs. Then, with eight wickets remaining, India completed the 50-run chase as Australia was bowled out for 241.
