Hemang Badani lauds Shubman Gill’s century as captain in ENG vs IND 2025 2nd Test

Former Indian batter Hemang Badani showered praise on Shubman Gill after the Indian skipper scored a fine knock of 114 runs on the opening day of the second Test match against England at Edgbaston, Birmingham on Wednesday. 

Gill batted at the top of his game and looked in control throughout his innings. The Indian captain showed all the patience in his knock and had 96% control while batting against England bowlers. According to Cricviz, Shubman Gill played just four percent false shots in his century, which is the lowest figure for a Test hundred in England since records began in 2006.

This is Gill’s second consecutive Test century while leading the team and his century helped India finish the opening day at 310-5.

Before this Test series, Gill’s credentials in England were questioned as he was averaging less than 15 in English conditions.

“Before this season, there were a lot of discussions that he doesn’t score runs in SENA countries. He let the bat do the talking. He scored a century in the first match and a century in this match as well. As it’s said, captaincy suits some people. Captaincy is suiting him,” Hemang Badani said on Sony Sports.

“I would also like to say that he is the captain of a young team. There is a lot of burden on him. Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma had a set team. This is an absolutely new team, and he knows he has to do something as a batter. He is handling the pressure very well,” he added.

Gill also became the fourth Indian captain to score a century in the first two matches after Vijay Hazare, Sunil Gavaskar, and Virat Kohli. Former Indian wicket-keeper Saba Karim hailed Gill for a solid start as Indian captain.

“What better start could you have had as a captain? Shubman had to work extremely hard today (Wednesday). The England pacers had a different approach today. They applied different tactics against Shubman Gill. The attack was more within the stumps, and Shubman prepared very well for that,” he said.

“He negated exceptionally whatever the England pace bowlers offered to him. He played a more controlled knock against Shoaib Bashir. Shubman needed to bat solidly when two wickets had fallen quickly. It was a fully deserved century. He constructed his knock brilliantly, although the job is still incomplete,” Saba observed.

Gill would look to convert his century into a big score on the second day.