Shubman Gill etched his name into the record books on Sunday by becoming the first Indian skipper to score 1,000 runs in a single edition of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC). Gill achieved the landmark during Day 1 of the second Test against Sri Lanka at the Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC) in Colombo.
In doing so, he surpassed the previous Indian captaincy record held across past championship cycles by Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. His form has remained largely unaffected by the additional responsibilities of leadership. Rather than being weighed down by captaincy, Gill has thrived in the role, batting primarily at No. His ability to convert starts into match-defining hundreds – highlighted during overseas tours as well as subcontinent assignments – cements his place at the forefront of India’s new red-ball era. IND vs SL 2nd Test Playing XIs India: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Devdutt Padikkal, Shubman Gill (captain), Rishabh Pant (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, Saransh Jain, Manav Suthar, Mohammed Siraj, and Prasidh Krishna Sri Lanka: Lahiru Udara, Kamil Mishara, Pasindu Sooriyabandara, Kamindu Mendis, Dhananjaya de Silva (captain), Sonal Dinusha, Niroshan Dickwella (wk), Keshara Nuwantha, Prabath Jayasuriya, Lahiru Kumara, and Asitha Fernando
Gill entered the match needing around 24–26 runs to reach the milestone in the ongoing 2025-27 WTC cycle. He scored a measured 50 off 108 balls in the first innings, taking his tally as captain in the cycle to 1,024 runs from 10 matches and 17 innings at an impressive average of 68.26. The innings included five centuries and two half-centuries, with a highest score of 269. Needing just 24 runs ahead of the second Test against Sri Lanka to cross the 1,000 run mark as India captain in the ongoing WTC cycle, Gill reached the landmark during a resolute first-innings knock. Most runs as India captain in one edition of WTC Player Matches Innings Runs Best Score Average Shubman Gill 10 17 1024 269 68.26 Virat Kohli 15 24 934 254* 42.45 Rohit Sharma 17 31 864 131 28.8 Virat Kohli 7 13 415 79 31.92 Rohit Sharma 7 11 390 120 35.45 Gill is only the fifth captain overall in WTC history to cross 1,000 runs in one cycle, with England’s Joe Root holding the overall record for most runs as captain in a single edition (1,660 in 2019-21 cycle). Since taking over the Test captaincy in June 2025 against England at Headingley, Gill has shown remarkable consistency with the bat. He piled up 754 runs in five Tests in England (including four centuries), followed by strong contributions against the West Indies. The latest milestone caps a prolific run of form since taking over the Test captaincy in June 2025 against England at Headingley, Gill has shown remarkable consistency with the bat. 4 and anchoring the middle order with exceptional consistency. 1,000 WTC Runs As Captain: First Indian skipper to score 1,000+ runs within a single championship cycle. 3,000 Test Runs: Crosses 3,000 career runs in Test cricket, becoming the fourth-youngest Indian batter to achieve the feat (behind Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, and Dilip Vengsarkar). Captaincy Average: Maintains a Test batting average above 70 while leading the side, with six centuries to his name as skipper. Gill’s aggressive yet technically assured batting has provided India with strong stability during its ongoing WTC 2025-27 campaign.
