5th century as India captain in 12 innings

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Gill’s masterclass -- 5th century as India captain in 12 innings

New Delhi, Oct 11 (UNI) On a bright afternoon today, Shubman Gill reminded the cricketing world why he is fast becoming one of India’s most assured young leaders. The right-handed captain brought up his 10th Test hundred and, more significantly, his fifth as India’s skipper in just 12 innings, a record that puts him in elite company alongside the likes of Alastair Cook and Sunil Gavaskar.

It came off a short delivery from Khary Pierre, which Gill cut crisply past cover for three runs. The fans erupted, and Gill, ever the picture of calm, lifted his cap in acknowledgment, sharing a quick hug with wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel. For those watching, it was a moment that blended personal triumph with the theatre of Test cricket, the way only cricket in the subcontinent can.

Gill’s feat is remarkable not just for the statistics. Only Cook, with five centuries in nine innings, and Gavaskar, in ten, reached five hundreds faster as captains. In fact, only Virat Kohli had previously scored five Test centuries as an Indian captain in a calendar year, achieving it twice, in 2017 and 2018.

Gill joins that rarefied space, and at just 26, he is already carving out a legacy of calm authority combined with stylish strokeplay.

The history between India and the West Indies in recent years casts Gill’s achievement in sharp relief. Since 2013, 25 Test centuries have been scored across 14 encounters, 23 of them by Indian batsmen. Only Roston Chase has managed to breach the three-figure barrier from the Caribbean side, statistics that tells you all you need to know about India’s dominance, and the challenge West Indies face today.

For Gill, it was more than a personal milestone. It was a declaration: that India’s batting line-up, led by a confident young captain, can stand tall under pressure, play with freedom, and continue to write the narrative in this historic contest against the West Indies.

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