IND vs ENG 1st Test: Shubman Gill Creates History; Joins Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli in Elite Club

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Shubman Gill achieved a significant career milestone on Day 1 of the first Test between India and England at Headingley, Leeds. The 25-year-old became only the fourth Indian cricketer to cross 2000 runs in the ICC World Test Championship (WTC), joining the elite company of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Rishabh Pant.

Gill needed 107 runs heading into the Test to reach the 2000-run mark in WTC, and he accomplished the feat in emphatic fashion. He smashed a six off Josh Tongue on the final delivery of the 75th over of India's first innings to bring up the landmark.

Earlier in the same over, he reached his century with a boundary, marking a dream start to his tenure as India's Test captain.

The elegant right-hander struck 14 boundaries and a six in his unbeaten knock, showcasing maturity and flair as he guided India to a strong position in the match. This innings also marked his sixth century in the World Test Championship, placing him second only to Rohit Sharma (9 tons) among Indians in WTC history. Virat Kohli and Yashasvi Jaiswal follow with five centuries each.

By scoring a hundred in his first Test match as captain, Gill etched his name in a prestigious list that includes Vijay Hazare, Sunil Gavaskar, Dilip Vengsarkar, and Kohli himself - all of whom notched centuries in their captaincy debuts.

In the larger WTC context, Rohit leads India's run-scoring charts with 2716 runs in 40 matches, followed by Kohli (2617 runs in 46 games) and Pant (over 2300 in 35 matches). The global WTC run tally is headed by England's Joe Root, who has amassed 5543 runs in 55 matches, ahead of Australians Marnus Labuschagne (4225) and Steve Smith (4151).

Adding to his list of accolades, Gill also became the eighth Indian to register a Test century at Headingley, following in the footsteps of greats like Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar, and more recently, Yashasvi Jaiswal.

Gill's remarkable innings not only solidified his credentials as a batter and leader but also gave India a firm grip on the series opener.