Opponents on the field, helping each other off-the-field. India’s young Test captain Shubman Gill took the route former England batter Kevin Pietersen took to counter spin. Pietersen wrote an email to former India batter Rahul Dravid and employed the technique to get better. In 2025, Gill talked to the legendary batter Sachin Tendulkar and took the phone number of Australia’s Steve Smith from his Gujarat Titans (GT) assistant coach Matthew Wade. Gill got the advice to defend straight and score square on English soil.
“There was pressure of not doing well outside India. But I was feeling very confident in terms of my practice, mentally, and what positions I was getting into. I spoke to Sachin Sir and also took the phone number of Steve Smith from Matthew Wade. Both said the same thing: defend straight and score square,” Gill told Star Sports.
Gill’s record run in England
The advice from the two veterans paid off. From five Tests in Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025, he scored 754 runs at an average of 75.40. He scored four centuries on the tour, including a 269-run knock. He missed out on breaking Sunil Gavaskar’s record for most Test runs in a series. He also missed out on breaking legendary Australian batter Don Bradman's record for most runs (810) as captain in a Test series.
Not just with the bat, Gill showed aggression as captain against the Ben Stokes-led side. While he was criticised for his team selection and a few calls on the field, the Gill-led side was able to end the series 2-2 even though Jasprit Bumrah missed playing two Tests due to workload management and Rishabh Pant was ruled out of the final Test due to a foot injury.
What’s next for Gill?
Now, he has his work cut out for the remainder of 2025. India are hosting West Indies and South Africa for two Tests each. India will look to move up on the World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27 points table.
Smith, Tendulkar’s Test numbers in England
Smith has a good record in England. From 23 Tests on England soil, he has 2,334 runs at an average of 54.27, featuring eight centuries and 10 fifties.
Tendulkar played 17 Tests in England and scored 1,575 runs at an average of 54.31, including four centuries and eight half-centuries.