Shubman Gill's remarkable innings of 269 in the second Test against England has drawn high praise from former India captain Sourav Ganguly, who hailed it as one of the best he has ever seen in England. Gill's knock helped India amass a dominant 587 in their first innings in Birmingham.
Ganguly described Gill's innings as an "absolute masterclass" and "just flawless". He noted the significant improvement Gill has shown in recent months and suggested that the No. 4 position is a better fit for him in Test cricket. Ganguly expressed confidence in India's chances of winning the Test, emphasizing the importance of Gill's contribution.
Virender Sehwag, known for his aggressive batting style and being the first Indian to score a triple century in Test cricket, also lauded Gill's performance. Sehwag acknowledged Gill's fantastic knock, which put India in a commanding position at Edgbaston. He praised the innings as one of great maturity, patience, and skill.
Gill's innings was not only praised for its quality but also for the records it broke. He became the first Indian and Asian Test captain to score a double century in England. Gill also surpassed Virat Kohli's 254 as the highest score by an Indian Test captain and Sachin Tendulkar's 241 as the highest score by an Indian outside Asia. Furthermore, he eclipsed Sunil Gavaskar's 221 at The Oval, setting a new record for the highest Test score by an Indian in England.
At 25 years and 298 days, Gill is also the second-youngest Indian skipper to post a double ton, after MAK Pataudi. Gill's score is the third-highest by a visiting batter at Edgbaston, only behind Graeme Smith (277 in 2003) and Zaheer Abbas (274 in 1971).
Gill revealed that his performance was the result of focused preparation before the series. He stated that he had worked on specific aspects of his game that he believed would be crucial for Test cricket and was pleased to see the results paying off.
Gill's innings also marked several other milestones. He completed 5,000 runs in First-Class cricket during the innings and recorded his career-best score in the format. He also went past 1,000 Test runs in away matches and against England. Overall, Gill's 269 is the third-highest away Test score by an Indian, behind only Sehwag's 309 and Dravid's 270. It is the seventh-highest Test score for India across all venues. He is also only the fifth batter ever to score double hundreds in both Tests and ODIs.