India vs England | Double delight for Gill as hosts run riot at Birmingham

The 25-year-old became the first Indian captain to score a double hundred in a Test match in England.

In the process, the skipper also posted the highest individual score by an Indian batter on English soil, surpassing Sunil Gavaskar’s 221 scored at the Oval in 1979 when he scored three consecutive boundaries of part-time spinner Harry Brook.

He also became the first Indian to score more than 250 outside the Indian subcontinent, breaking Sachin Tendulkar’s record of 241, while he also recorded the highest score by an Indian captain when he went past Virat Kohli’s 254.

Gill (265 batting) and Washington Sundar (42) added 144 runs for the seventh wicket as India weaved another strong passage of play.

With Sundar playing patiently at the other end, Gill was in Twenty20 mode as they cruised past the 500-mark and a rare outside edge went for a boundary to take the captain to 250 as Brook sank to his knees with a wry smile.

Despite losing his overnight partner Ravindra Jadeja in the first session for 89 – the second India batter to miss out on a century after Yashasvi Jaiswal (87) – Gill looked completely at ease on a flat track that offered precious little assistance.

After resuming on an overnight score of 310 for five, Jadeja and Gill had built a 203-run stand before the all-rounder fell to a Josh Tongue bouncer but Gill showcased his array of elegant drives and well-timed flicks to worry England.

As the home side’s bowling attack toiled under the summer sun, Gill hardly broke sweat and had put a price on his wicket in the first session before he decided to accelerate the scoring rate in the post-lunch session.