'Prince' surpasses 'King': Gill leaps past Kohli while rescuing India from horrid start at Old Trafford

Captain Shubman Gill regained his form after a hat-trick of low scores in the ongoing Test series against England, scoring a defiant half-century and forging a solid third-wicket partnership with opener KL Rahul to help India recover from a woeful start.

Gill was batting on 78 with Rahul on 87 as India reached 174/2 after 63 overs at close of play on Day 4 of the fourth Test at Manchester’s Old Trafford, making a strong recovery after losing two wickets without opening their account.

Gill surpasses Kohli’s 655 runs against England in 2016

Gill, in the process, added another feather to his cap in what has been a memorable maiden series as India Test captain. The 25-year-old surpassed Virat Kohli – his predecessor at the No 4 spot in the format – in the list of Indian batters with most runs as captain in a Test series.

Kohli’s tally of 655 runs, which Gill surpassed on the penultimate day of the ongoing Test in Manchester, also came in a five-match Test series against England, albeit on home soil in late 2016. The 36-year-old had collected two centuries and four half-centuries in that series, which the Indians ended up winning by a dominant 4-0 margin.

And until Saturday, Kohli was second on the all-time list among Indians with most runs in a Test series as captain, with the legendary Sunil Gavaskar having remained on top with his 732 runs against West Indies on home soil in 1978-79.

Gill, on the other hand, has collected three centuries so far in the ongoing series – all of which were collected in the first two Tests – including a majestic 269 in the second Test at Edgbaston that played a key role in the dominant 336-run victory.

Gill’s a long way off from the all-time record for most runs in a Test series – with the legendary Don Bradman having remained unchallenged since he amassed 974 runs in the 1930 Ashes in England.

The newly-appointed Test skipper, however, finds himself within touching distance of the record by an Indian batter, which remains in the possession of former captain Sunil Gavaskar for his 774 runs in four Tests in the his debut series – against West Indies in 1971.

At stumps on the penultimate day of the Manchester Test, Gill’s tally in the ongoing series stood at 685, meaning he needs less than 100 runs – 90 to be precise – to surpass ‘Sunny G’.