India Test skipper Shubman Gill started his Test captaincy on home soil with a steady half-century on Day 2 of the first Test against the West Indies at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The right-handed batter reached the fifty-run mark in 91 balls with a single down the ground off Khary Pierre in the 56th over. It was Gill's eighth half-century in the longest format of the game.
Gill joins elite club featuring legendary Sunil Gavaskar
Gill joined former India captain Sunil Gavaskar in an elusive list as he became the first Indian skipper in 47 years to hit a half-century in his first home Test as the captain.
After smashing a half-century on his first Test as a captain on home soil, Gill has achieved a rare feat as he became the first Indian skipper in 47 years to hit a half-century in his first home Test as the captain. The last Indian captain to do this was Sunil Gavaskar, who hit a century in his first home Test as skipper back in 1978, also against the West Indies. Gavaskar had gone on to score a majestic 205 in that innings at the Wankhede Stadium.
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While Gill couldn’t go on to score a hundred like Gavaskar, his knock still made a mark. He was dismissed for 52 on the final ball of the very next over (57th), falling to spinner Roston Chase.
India vs West Indies Day 2 Lunch
Coming back to the match, KL Rahul’s solid century helped India reach 218 for 3 at lunch on Day 2 of the first Test against the West Indies. Rahul was unbeaten on 100, with Dhruv Jurel at the other end on 14, as India held a 56-run lead going into the break.
India began the day at 121 for 2 and lost captain Shubman Gill, who was dismissed for 50 in the morning session.
Earlier on Day 1, the Indian bowlers put in a strong performance to bowl out the West Indies for just 162 in their first innings of the red-ball Test.