Shubman Gill has made headlines in the 2025 cricket season by achieving five Test hundreds, a remarkable feat for a player who has recently begun captaining his national team. Gill’s accomplishment matches the Indian record for the most Test centuries in a calendar year by a captain, previously held by Virat Kohli, who also scored five tons in 2017 and 2018.
Key Achievements of Shubman Gill
- Five Test hundreds in 2025 as captain.
- Tied for the most hundreds in a calendar year among Indian captains.
- Reached five hundreds in just 12 innings, behind only Alastair Cook (9 innings) and Sunil Gavaskar (10 innings).
- Scored five hundreds in the same number of matches as cricket legend Don Bradman.
- Maintains an average of 84.81 as captain, second only to Bradman’s remarkable 101.51.
Statistics and Records in Context
The recent Test against West Indies in Delhi marked Gill’s seventh match as captain. In addition, he is recognized for his rapid ascent in the ranks of Test cricket records. Yashasvi Jaiswal has also made an impressive mark, having scored seven hundreds in just 26 Test matches.
- Jaiswal is tied for the joint-most hundreds by an opener before age 24, alongside Graeme Smith.
- He is only behind the legends Don Bradman (12), Sachin Tendulkar (11), and Garry Sobers (9) in overall Test hundreds before turning 24.
- Five of Jaiswal’s first seven hundreds have exceeded 150 runs.
Only two players have matched Jaiswal’s ability to score five 150-plus runs from their initial Test hundreds: Bob Simpson and Brian Lara.
Impressive Team Statistics
In the same Test match, India set a prestigious record by scoring 518 for 5 in their first innings, the highest score in Test cricket without the benefit of a bye or leg bye. This total surpassed the previous record of 513 set by Bangladesh against Sri Lanka in 2018.
- India’s innings feature only two runs through extras, marking the second-fewest extras recorded in a 500-plus total.
- West Indies’ pace bowlers bowled 318 balls without claiming a wicket, a rare occurrence for the team.
Such records highlight the impressive performances from both individual players and the team as a whole, showcasing the evolving landscape of international Test cricket. With Gill and Jaiswal making waves, the future of Indian cricket looks promising.
