Who said what - top 5 expert reactions to Shubman Gill's majestic 269 in ENG vs IND 2025 2nd Test ft. Irfan Pathan 

The Indian team enjoyed a dominant Day 2 (Thursday, July 3) of the second Test in the five-match series against England at Edgbaston Stadium in Birmingham. Resuming at 310/5 with Shubman Gill and Ravindra Jadeja at the crease, the duo continued their fine form on Day 2.

They put together a brilliant 203-run partnership off 279 balls before Josh Tongue provided the breakthrough by dismissing Jadeja for 89. However, Gill continued his charge, stitching another crucial 144-run stand off 189 deliveries with Washington Sundar, who contributed 42.

The Indian skipper was in sublime touch, bringing up his maiden double century in Tests. He eventually scored a magnificent 269 off 387 balls, studded with 30 boundaries and three sixes.

In the process, he set a new benchmark—recording the highest individual Test score by an Indian captain and also the highest by an Indian batter in England. Powered by Gill’s heroics, India posted a mammoth 587 in their first innings.

The visitors then made early inroads with the ball, removing England's top three—Zak Crawley (19), Ben Duckett (0), and Ollie Pope (0)—for just 25 runs. Akash Deep claimed two wickets, while Mohammed Siraj picked up one. At stumps, England had recovered slightly to 77/3 after 20 overs, with former skipper Joe Root (18) and Harry Brook (30) at the crease.

All in all, it was a dominant day for India, led by skipper Shubman Gill’s majestic double hundred. On that note, we take a look at five expert reactions to Gill’s stunning 269 in the ENG vs IND 2nd Test, 2025.

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5 expert reactions to Shubman Gill's majestic 269 in ENG vs IND 2025 2nd Test

#1 Michael Vaughan

Former England skipper Michael Vaughan remarked that while Shubman Gill’s double hundred may have come on a flat pitch, it should be celebrated for how faultless and composed the innings was. Speaking on Cricbuzz, the 50-year-old also hailed it as one of the greatest knocks he has ever witnessed. He said:

"When you see someone play so well, the first thing, and we have all been talking about it, that it is a flat wicket. When England went out to bat, they lost three wickets because they made three mistakes, Shubman Gill did not make a mistake. So, I am going to give him a huge amount of credit for his concentration, his dedication to making sure that he can stay in, and then the pure strokeplay.”

"I've seen many many great innings, and that is up there with those great innings, because someone that is 0-1 down in the series, is captaining his country for the second time, the pressure is on, the talk of the team being a negative one, to walk out and score that amount of runs and put you team in such a dominating position to allow your bowlers to run in hard for an hour and get three wickets, that is why I rank it as such a high valued innings,” he added.

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#2 Aakash Chopra

Former Indian opener Aakash Chopra also praised Shubman Gill for his sensational double century, while interestingly pointing out that he was dismissed for 269, the same number as Virat Kohli’s Test cap. In a video shared on his YouTube channel @CricketAakash, the 47-year-old said:

“269 checked out, 269 checked in. The king went, the prince came, and the prince created a king-like atmosphere. The captain stood tall. The new era that Shubman Gill had to start, he did it himself with his bat and talent. He scored a century in the first match at Headingley. That was special, of course, but to double it up and go beyond 250, he has placed India in a commanding position.”

"The records just kept tumbling down - highest score by an Indian outside Asia, highest score by an Indian captain, and it's slightly poetic as well. 269 was Virat Kohli's number. He checked out, and our man has checked in by scoring 269 runs. He has established himself at No. 4,” he continued.

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#3 Irfan Pathan

Former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan praised Shubman Gill for his remarkable patience and temperament, especially during the testing spells when English bowlers consistently targeted his pads. Pathan noted how Gill weathered the pressure and responded with a range of exquisite strokes. In a video shared on his YouTube channel @OfficialIrfanPathan, the 40-year-old said:

“What stood out most in this innings was his patience—it was truly commendable. I remember when he came out to bat, Chris Woakes was breathing fire. He was bowling exceptionally well, constantly swinging the ball in and targeting the pads. Gill handled it all.”

“His first fifty in this innings was actually the slowest of his career, which tells you how much he was grinding it out—willing to fight through the challenge. He knew that if he didn’t survive, a new batter would walk in and could get out quickly, especially with Woakes in such rhythm. He tackled short balls brilliantly, played beautiful drives. That cover drive—it felt like no one played it better right now. He showed us everything: straight drives, on-drives, flicks, pulls, cuts, reverse sweeps, slog sweeps—you name it,” he added.

Pathan continued:

“Whether it was Woakes, Josh Tongue, Brydon Carse, or even Shoaib Bashir—he dominated them all. There was even a shot where mid-off was up, and he stepped out, created room, and lofted it perfectly over mid-off. He showcased his full range, right there at Edgbaston, in front of the world. And when that double century came, the entire stadium stood and applauded—even the English fans joined in. That’s the level of respect Shubman Gill has earned. So well done, Shubman Gill.”

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#4 Ravi Shastri

Former Indian head coach Ravi Shastri was also full of praise for skipper Shubman Gill, highlighting his remarkable composure and discipline at the crease. Speaking on Sky Sports, the former cricketer-turned-commentator noted that Gill batted for a day and a half without playing a single false shot.

He added that the 25-year-old clearly learned from his mistake in the first Test, where he gave away his wicket, and this time showed determination, application, and conviction throughout. The 63-year-old said:

“Batting for a day and a half, and I think I can’t think of four false shots in that entire length of time. When he goes out there, he absorbs the pressure—he’s the captain of the side, the team is one-nil down—and, you know, what I liked was how he learned from that mistake he made in the first Test match. That was after cruising along—the way he got out to Shoaib Bashir, chipped one to deep wicket—and there was a collapse. So, that would have played on his mind when he came out to bat this morning.”

“You know, overnight on 114, he must’ve said, "Listen, I’ve got to get a big one." And sure enough, he did—hardly put a foot wrong. The determination, the application, the concentration—it was all there for everyone to see. And yet, at the same time, he scored at a pretty good rate. Yes, he got company from Jadeja and Washington Sundar, but what a knock this is,” he added.

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#5 Varun Aaron

Speaking on ESPNcricinfo, former Indian pacer Varun Aaron praised Shubman Gill for his outstanding innings, while also noting that the young batter would likely be disappointed at missing out on a triple century.

The 35-year-old highlighted that Gill didn’t offer the England bowlers a single opportunity and that his mindset reflects a strong desire to become one of the greatest Indian batter ever. Varun said:

“His highest first-class score—outdoing his previous best by just one run. He would be disappointed, though, that he didn’t get a triple 100. He was looking so good. Very soft dismissal. I was really rooting for him to get a bigger, bigger hundred. We were all talking about daddy hundreds and Gill getting a big one. It really looked like he was digging deep to get one of his big scores. He did get his biggest score.”

“But Gill—you know what—just a brilliant player. I just think, in a land where they produce all the Rolls-Royces, we saw an Indian Rolls-Royce operate. Just brilliant. So smooth. Didn’t give them a single chance in 260-odd runs. That says so much, because generally, when somebody plays that many balls in a place like England, you definitely see a few chances go down—you see a few loose shots. It just shows his mindset. It shows his composure. And it shows that Shubman Gill wants to be the greatest batsman India has ever seen. That’s how he’s operating,” he added.

Shubman Gill has now racked up 2,317 runs from 62 innings in 34 Tests, maintaining an average of 40.64, with seven centuries and seven fifties to his credit.