Where there is a Gill, there is a way - How the young Indian captain redefined skill and will to conquer cricket's capital

Here's a hypothetical for Indian cricket fans - What if a player 'X' averaged 42.72 in 34 Tests with eight centuries, including four away from home, and a series-winning 91 in Australia at age 25? Most, if not all, fans would be hailing him as a red-ball superstar with the admirable tenacity to deliver from home.

That player 'X' is none other than India's Test captain, Shubman Gill, and his numbers as of now with his side on the doorsteps of a famous series-levelling victory at Edgbaston.

Yet, rewind the calendar by just 20 days, and this talented youngster was at the centre of social media criticisms and trolls for being named India's Test captain. The criticisms, ironically, weren't totally out of bounds then, as Gill's Test numbers were shockingly different.

The stylish right-hander was in the middle of a massive form slump, coming off a series in Australia where he averaged under 19 in three games. His overall numbers weren't much better, with a Test average of 35.05 in 32 matches and a lone century at a sub-30 average away from the comforts of home.

For those scratching their head on the colossal difference in so many numbers, it is just the most storybook tale of a cricketer who has performed magic to turn the narrative surrounding him in red-ball cricket in an unimaginable fortnight.

Gill's topsy-turvy ride from the Gabba Grandeur to the Birmingham Bonanza

That Shubman Gill was touted to be the next big thing in Indian cricket had everything to do with the raw skill level that met the eye. The aesthetics of his batting from the get-go were undeniable, and those questioning them would possibly ask why 1+1 =2.

Yet, surviving and excelling in Test cricket often comes down to much more than just eye-pleasing shots, and Gill found that out the hard way. The cricketing world was on its feet after his fourth innings 91 helped India successfully chase down 328 at the Gabba to clinch a series win in Australia in 2021.

Unfortunately, Gill's climb to the mountain top endured a horrific slip after the sensational debut series in Australia. An average of 33.08 in his next 28 Tests and an even worse 22.94 average away from home saw his reputation hit rock bottom in the long format.

The strokeplay was there, but every other cherished quality for success at the highest level seemed missing.

It had former Indian captain Kris Srikkanth tearing into him earlier in the year, saying (via Hindustan Times):

"I’ve always maintained that Shubman Gill is an overrated cricketer but nobody listened to me. He is a highly overrated cricketer. When Gill is getting this much of a long rope, some people might wonder whether even players like Suryakumar Yadav could have been given a longer rope in Tests."

The move to No. 3 in the back half of 2023 did very little to help Gill's consistency in Tests, and many wondered why the youngster could not translate his machine-like efficiency in ODIs to the red-ball format.

His ascent to Test captaincy transformed the naysayers' concern to fury, with most questioning how someone who warrants an axe received the ultimate keys to the kingdom.

However, nine days into his Test captaincy, the whole of India is seemingly bowing down to Shubman Gill as he performs his taking-a-bow celebration on a seemingly daily basis in England.

Shubman Gill turns the record book into his autobiography

The magnitude of Shubman Gill's numbers and achievements in the first two Tests of the 2025 England tour warrants an entire feature by itself. The 25-year-old has broken several records that were long considered sacred and untouchable by cricket lovers.

For starters, Gill's 269 in the first innings of the ongoing second Test was the highest score by an Indian captain and the best by any Indian batter in England. The names he surpassed to achieve these two records - Virat Kohli and Sunil Gavaskar. It was also the highest score by an Indian in Tests outside Asia, surpassing another legend, Sachin Tendulkar, and his 241 in Australia in 2004.

Gill also became the first Asian captain to score a double century in Tests in SENA countries. All this from a cricketer who dominated every YouTube channel and social media discussions until a month back for his frailties and dismal numbers in SENA conditions.

Get this, we are only at the intermission of Gill's record-breaking spree in the Edgbaston outing. The right-hander scored another magnificent 161 in India's second innings, propelling his match tally to an extraordinary 430 runs. He became only the second batter after Allan Border to score 150+ twice in a Test and the second Indian captain to score two centuries in the same Test match after Sunil Gavaskar.

The list of records has no stopping as Gill also became the second-highest individual scorer in a Test match with his 430 runs, behind only Graham Gooch's 456 in 1990.

If and when Shubman Gill decides to write his autobiography long after his potentially illustrious career ends, Page 1 almost certainly will belong to the 2025 England tour. Scarily for the hosts, the series hasn't reached its halfway point yet, and Gill has several other records that could be in store over the next month of action.

Is there logic behind captaincy spurring Shubman Gill's meteoric rise?

The convenience of filtering numbers to match perceptions about a cricketer that ultimately becomes reality is second to none. Hence, a section of even Indian fans were overjoyed when Shubman Gill was appointed Test captain a game after he was dropped in the penultimate Test of the Australian tour.

Utilizing his overall Test numbers and the even-worse SENA figures was done to prove how much he would struggle when captaincy was also added to his slim shoulders in a place like England.

Add to that the Test retirements of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli and India's back-to-back series losses in the red-ball format, and Murphy's Law could not have found a better landing spot than Shubman Gill, the captain.

It begs the question of how the extra burden of the leadership role has spurred him to incredible heights at a place where he averaged under 15 before this tour?

It is hard to definitively state the logic behind this renaissance, as it was 22 years ago, with South Africa's Graeme Smith. Taking over a Proteas unit in the doldrums after their embarrassing first-round exit in the 2003 ODI World Cup at home, a 22-year-old Smith was ridiculed even before his captaincy journey started.

However, he immediately placed egg on the skeptics' faces by scoring double centuries in back-to-back Tests in England in his first three Tests as captain.

Coming back to Gill, the youngster was always full of talent to succeed at the highest level, but seemingly lacked focus, hunger, and a steely determination. Even in a failed tour of Australia at the end of last year, the 25-year-old would pull off jaw-dropping shots before throwing his wicket away.

In his own words, Gill summed up his preparation for the England tour after the first innings of the Edgbaston Test, saying (via India Today):

"I started training for Tests during the IPL itself. That’s when I began preparing my mind and body. I was batting nicely but getting out after scoring 30 or 40 runs. So I wanted to enjoy my batting. I was focusing too hard, so I decided to make the most of it."

Gill needn't go too far for an example on how captaincy helped an Indian cricketer touch the Mount Everest of batting. His predecessor, Virat Kohli, embodied the term 'Leading from the front', averaging almost 55 in Tests as captain and only 37.40 otherwise.

Leading a group of equally talented men and a nation on the sporting field has helped some enhance their desire, intensity, fitness, and concentration levels, resulting in maximum production. Yet, others have folded the burden of leading a side, faced with tremendous external pressures, especially at the infant stages.

Gill seems cut from the former's cloth, and Indian fans will scream, 'Long may it continue'.

Battle only half-won: Gill must guard against the result-driven U-Turn

As relieved as Shubman Gill, the batter, must be about proving the skeptics, at least temporarily, wrong, he must remember how narratives change in the blink of an eye in sports. While his individual batting records from the first two Tests are rightly being celebrated, the bigger picture of team glory is still to be achieved.

Despite his heroics in the first Test, India failed to defend 371 on the final day to fall 0-1 behind after Gill's maiden captaincy outing in Tests. While his batting garnered appreciation, his tactical moves were questioned in equal proportions. Entering the final day of the second Test, India still require seven wickets to level the series.

Should they fail, and the match end in a draw, a U-Turn on Gill cannot be counted out. In an era where two contrasting qualities get mixed for a more intriguing narrative, a 0-1 deficit after the Edgbaston outing could find Gill being bombarded with terms staggeringly opposite to those last night.

The records celebrated this morning will be used against Gill 12 hours later as the reason behind the delayed declaration. To avoid the same, India's rookie skipper must be on his A-game tactically and ensure the force operating in his praise doesn't transform into a farce.

Gill will soon learn about the perils of captaincy and how even heroic batting efforts cannot shift eventual criticisms, should team success be lacking. However, before the start of the crucial final day, it is safe to say that Shubman Gill's arrival as the 'Prince of Indian cricket' looks closer than ever before in the sport's purest format.