Shubman Gill Goes Past Kohli, Rahul Stands Tall To Keep India’s Hopes Of Draw Alive

India found themselves in utter disarray after England piled up a colossal 669 in the first innings of the fourth Test at Old Trafford, taking a mammoth 311-run lead. The situation worsened when Chris Woakes removed Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sai Sudharsan for ducks in a fiery first over, leaving India reeling at 0/2 and staring at an innings defeat before Day 4 ended.

But amidst the rubble, KL Rahul and captain Shubman Gill rose to the occasion. In what could be one of India’s grittiest fightbacks in recent Test history, the duo steadied the ship with an unbroken 174-run partnership.

With India desperately needing a leader's knock, Gill answered the call, bringing up his fourth 50+ score of the series - the second most by any Indian captain in a Test series in England, only behind Virat Kohli’s five in 2018. 

At the other end, Rahul continued to flourish. The opener, who has at least one 50+ score in all four Tests so far, brought up his highest aggregate in a single Test series. His unbeaten 87 off 210 balls saw him breach the 500-run mark.

When stumps were drawn on Day 4, India were 174/2 after 63 overs, still trailing by 137 runs. The Gill-Rahul duo had not only batted through 62.1 overs but have also given India a fighting chance to keep the series alive.

Here are some of the records Gill and Rahul broke on Day 4 of the fourth Test:

500+ runs for India in a Test series

Vijay Hazare (543) & Rusi Modi (560) - WI tour of IND 1948

Dilip Sardesai (648) & Sunil Gavaskar (774) - IND tour of WI 1971

Shubman Gill (697*) & KL Rahul (508*) - IND tour of ENG 2025

Most runs for India in an overseas Test series

774 - Sunil Gavaskar, India tour of West Indies 1971

697* - Shubman Gill, India tour of England 2025

692 - Virat Kohli, India tour of Australia 2014

642 - Dilip Sardesai, India tour of West Indies 1971

Most runs for an Asian batter in England in a Test series

697* - Shubman Gill (IND), 2025

631 - Younis Khan (PAK), 2006

602 - Rahul Dravid (IND), 2002

593 - Virat Kohli (IND), 2018

Most 50+ scores for an Indian opener in a Test series in England

5 - Sunil Gavaskar, 1979

4* - KL Rahul, 2025

3 - Dinesh Karthik, 2007

3 - Murali Vijay, 2014

3 - Rohit Sharma, 2021/22

3 - Yashasvi Jaiswal, 2025

Most 50+ scores in the third innings of a Test since 2024

5 - Rishabh Pant (7 inns)

5 - Shubman Gill (8 inns)

4 - Kane Williamson (5 inns)

4 - Angelo Mathews (6 inns)

4 - Joe Root (9 inns)

Most 50+ scores for an Indian captain in England in a Test series

5 - Virat Kohli, 2018

4 - Sourav Ganguly, 2002

4 - MS Dhoni, 2014

4* - Shubman Gill, 2025