ENG vs IND 2025: Top 5 Indian batters with most runs in debut series as Test captain ft. Shubman Gill

Team India captain Shubman Gill has been in sensational form with the willow in the ongoing Test series in England. The 25-year-old was named captain for the five-match Test series following Rohit Sharma's retirement from the red-ball format. Some critics and fans had expressed reservations over Gill being named Test leader, pointing out to his middling returns with the willow in the longer format.

The new Indian Test captain has answered his critics in emphatic style. Gill scored a magnificent 147 off 227 in his first innings as Test captain at Headingley in Leeds. The 348-minute knock, featuring 19 fours and a six, made a strong statement. The right-handed batter has done even better in the ongoing Test at Edgbaston in Birmingham, registering scores of 269 and 161.

Courtesy of his sensational batting exploits, Gill has already broken the record for most runs by a batter in debut Test series as Indian captain. Four innings is all it has taken for the 25-year-old to claim the massive record. On that note, let's take a look at the five Indian batters with most runs in their debut series as Test captain.

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#5 Dilip Vengsarkar - 305 vs West Indies (1987-88)

Dilip Vengsarkar topped the batting charts in his debut series as Test captain. He scored 305 runs in five innings (three Tests) in a home series against West Indies in 1987-88. The 'Colonel' averaged 101.66 (two not outs) in the series, hitting two hundreds and one fifty.

Vengsarkar scored 102 off 257 balls in the second innings of the first Test in Delhi. The hosts, however, lost the Test by five wickets as the Windies chased down 276. Vengsarkar contributed 51 and 40* in the second Test in at the Wankhede Stadium, which ended in a draw. In the next Test at Eden Gardens, which also ended in a draw, he retired hurt on 102 in the first innings.

Ravi Shastri led India in the fourth Test in Chennai, which India won by 255 runs to square the series. This Test saw the sensational debut of Narendra Hirwani, who claimed eight wickets in both innings.

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#4 Nari Contractor - 319 vs Pakistan (1960-61)

Nari Contractor made his debut as Test captain during the 1960-61 home series against Pakistan. He contributed 319 runs in five Tests (six innings) at an average of 53.16, with three half-centuries to his name.

Contractor scored 62 in the first innings of the first Test at Brabourne Stadium. He followed it up with 47 in the first innings of the second Test in Kanpur. Contractor also scored 81 in the fourth Test in Chennai and 92 in the fifth and final Test in Delhi. All five Test matches ended in a draw.

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#3 Vijay Hazare - 347 vs England (1951-52)

Vijay Hazare features third on the list of Indian batters with most runs in debut series as Test captain. He notched up 347 runs during the five-match home series against England in 1951-52. In seven innings, Hazare averaged 57.83, with the aid of two hundreds even as he also registered two ducks.

Player	Innings	Runs	Average	HS	100s	50s
Shubman Gill	4*	585	146.25	269	3	0
Virat Kohli	4	449	112.25	147	3	0
Vijay Hazare	7	347	57.83	164*	2	0
Nari Contractor	6	319	53.16	92	0	3
Dilip Vengsarkar	5	305	101.66	102*	2	1

(Top 5 Indian batters with most runs in debut series as Test captain. *Gill is likely to play three more Tests in England)

Hazare kicked off the series with a brilliant 164* in the first Test in Delhi. He followed it up with an unbeaten 155 in the second Test at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai. Hazare failed to make much of an impact in the next three matches even as the series ended in a 1-1 draw.

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#2 Virat Kohli - 449 vs Australia (2014-15)

Virat Kohli captained India in two of the four Tests during the 2014-15 Border Gavaskar Trophy in Australia. With MS Dhoni unavailable, Kohli made his captaincy debut in the first Test in Adelaide. Dhoni led in the next two Tests and then announced his Test retirement. Kohil thus captained India in the fourth Test in Sydney, taking full-time charge of the team as leader.

Kohli was sensational with the bat in his first Test as captain in Adelaide. He registered scores of 115 & 141 even as India went down fighting by 48 runs. In Sydney, he contributed 147 and 46 in a drawn encounter. In four innings during the series as captain, he totaled 449 runs at a stupendous average of 112.25.

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#1 Shubman Gill 585* vs England (2025)

Gill has needed only four innings to break Kohli's record for most runs by an Indian batter in debut series as Test captain. The elegant batter has amassed 585 runs in four innings at a sensational average of 146.25, with three tons.

The 25-year-old began the series with 147 off 227 balls in the first innings in Leeds before being dismissed for eight in the second essay. In the ongoing Test in Birmingham, Gill smashed 269 off 387 balls in the first innings and 161 off 162 deliveries in the second innings.

(*The India-England Test series in currently underway.)