Team India skipper Shubman Gill has been in exceptional form in the present Test series in England, despite the fact that the visitors are 1-2 down after five matches. When the batter was named Test captain after Rohit Sharma retired from the format, there were many unanswered questions. With the willow in hand, Gill has, nevertheless, elegantly responded to his detractors.
The 25-year-old is presently dominating the Test series in England in terms of runs scored. He has amassed 722 runs at a stellar average of 90.25 in eight innings. For the Indian skipper, the Test series has so far been all or nothing. Four times, the right-handed batter has reached the half-century milestone. One has been turned into a double hundred, and three became tons.
Gill finds himself in a league of legends with his incredible batting performances in the 2025 Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. He is currently among the top five visiting captains in England who have scored the most runs in a Test series. Check out the distinguished list below.
1. Garry Sobers (722 in 1966)
In 1966, when the visitors won the Wisden Trophy in England after five matches, West Indies great Sobers scored 722 runs. In eight innings, Sobers amassed 722 runs at an average of 103.14, including three hundreds and two half-centuries.
The tourists won the first Test match in Manchester by an innings and forty runs after Sobers hit 161 off 241 in the opening innings. In the second innings of the subsequent Test match at Lord’s, the renowned southpaw struck an undefeated 163. at the third Test, Sobers scored 94 at Nottingham, 174 in Leeds, and 81 at the Oval.
2. Shubman Gill (722* in 2025)
On the record of visiting captains with the most runs in an English Test series, Gill and Garry Sobers are now equal for first place. The Indian captain would overtake Sobers and become the only person to hold the incredible record with one more run in the upcoming Test match at The Oval.
Shubman Gill scored 147 and 8 in Leeds to start the 2025 Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. In Birmingham, the 25-year-old followed it up with 269 and 161 as India crushed England by 336 runs. In the second innings of the Manchester Test, which finished in a draw, Gill picked himself up with 103 off 238 balls after three low scores.
3. Graeme Smith (714 in 2003)
A successful test tour in 2003 was enjoyed by a former South African captain Graeme Smith in England. At the culmination of the hard fought five match series (which resulted in a 2-2 draw), Smith became, by far, the highest run scorer. In nine innings, he hit 714 runs with an average of 79.33 in those two tons and one fifty.
As the high-scoring Test finished in a draw, Smith opened the trip with an incredible 277 in Birmingham and then added 85 in the second innings. The Proteas won the second Test at Lord’s by an innings and 92 runs because to the southpaw’s 259 off 370. However, Smith’s form deteriorated as he failed to score a single fifty in the following three Test matches.
4. Allan Border (5975 in 1985)
Allan Border also took the lead during an Ashes series that was played in England in 1985. Although Australia won the six match series 3-1, Border was named the highest run scorer of Australia with 597 runs at an average of 66.33 with two centuries and a half-century. Only David Gower (732) had more runs in the series.
Australia won the second Test at Lord’s by four wickets, and Border’s 196 and 41* earned him Player of the Match. He struck an undefeated 146 in the second innings of the fourth Test of the series at Manchester. In the second innings of the most recent Test match at The Oval, Border too made a heroic 58.
5. Virat Kohli (593 in 2018)
Virat Kohli had a disastrous tour of England in 2014, his first Test visit there. In 10 innings, he only scored 134 runs, with a maximum of 39. He came back to the nation four years later, this time as captain of the Test team. With the help of two hundreds and three fifties, Kohli had a great batting tour, scoring 593 runs at an average of 59.30 in 10 innings.
In Birmingham, where India lost a close Test match by 31 runs, Kohli opened the tour with scores of 149 and 51. at the third Test at Nottingham, India defeated England by 203 runs thanks to the right-handed batter’s 97 and 103 runs, earning him Player of the Match. In the subsequent Test, Kohli scored 49 and 0 at The Oval and 46 and 58 in Southampton. He was the top scorer at the end, but India lost 4-1.
