List of Indians to score hundreds in their first two Tests as captain ft. Shubman Gill

In a population of around 1.5 billion, becoming an Indian Test captain demands years of consistency, hard work, and a fair share of god-gifted talent. Some of them go on to achieve success early during their leadership stint and etch their names into history books.

Recently, Shubman Gill was elected as India's red-ball captain ahead of the five-match Test series against England. In just two games, the 25-year-old has proved his doubters wrong by playing big knocks on pace-assisting surfaces.

On that note, let's take a look at the Indian players who have hit the three-figure mark in their first two Tests as a captain.

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#1 Vijay Hazare - 2 (1951)

Vijay Hazare made his Test debut against England in June 1946. After proving his merit as a batter, Hazare was announced Indian team's captain ahead of the home series against England in 1951.

The right-hander returned with a sublime knock of 164* in only his first Test as a captain in Delhi. He followed it up with a 155-run knock in the next Test in Mumbai, making it two centuries in his first two Tests as a leader.

Vijay Hazare led India in 14 Tests from 1951 to 1953 and tasted victory in a solitary game while losing five. He garnered 2,192 runs in 30 games at an average of 47.65, with seven centuries.

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#2 Sunil Gavaskar - 2 (1976 & 1978)

One of the finest Indian batters to grace the cricket field, Sunil Gavaskar made his Test debut against the West Indies in March 1971.

Gavaskar's first Test as a captain came against New Zealand at Eden Park in January 1976. Undeterred by the leadership pressure, he returned with an impressive knock of 116.

Sunil Gavaskar's next game as a captain came against the Caribbean side at Mumbai in December 1978. The skillful batter played terrific knocks of 205 & 73 in the game, but the game ended as a draw.

Gavaskar led India in 47 games and secured victories in only nine of them while losing eight. He amassed 10,122 runs in 125 Tests at an average of 51.12, with 34 centuries.

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#3 Shubman Gill - 2* (2025)

Shubman Gill was chosen as the Test captain earlier this year due to an idea of long-term leadership and the possibility of him playing almost all games. In his only first Test inning as a captain at Headingley last week, Gill struck gold as he slammed 147.

Although Gill's contributions couldn't help the visitors, it surely ensured the side maintained dominance in the first two to three days.

In the ongoing Test at Edgbaston, Shubman Gill has remained unbeaten on 114, and put India in a strong position at 310/5.

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#4 Virat Kohli - 3 (2014-15)

Virat Kohli's Test debut came against West Indies in June 2011. His first assignment as a captain came during the Adelaide Test against Australia in 2014, when MS Dhoni was injured. The game saw Kohli play sublime knocks of 115 & 141, albeit in a losing cause.

Later in the series, Dhoni announced his shocking retirement from the Test format. As a result, Kohli led India in the final game at Sydney, which was the final game of the red-ball leg. Kohli brought up another ton, as he smashed 147 and helped India to save the Test match.

Kohli continued to lead the Indian Test team until January 2022 and emerged as India's most successful captain in the format. Under him, India won 40 out of 68 games and were the No. 1 side from the 2016-17 to the 2020-21 seasons.

Virat Kohli recently retired from the longest format, and ended with 9,230 runs in 123 games at an average of 46.85, with 30 centuries.