Yograj Singh Gives Son Yuvraj the Credit for Shubman Gill’s Historic Double Ton 

Indian red-ball captain Shubman Gill's 269-run innings became the eighth-highest individual score by a visiting batter in Test matches in England.

Yograj Singh Gives Son Yuvraj the Credit for Shubman Gill’s Historic Double Ton 

Yograj Singh credited his son and former Indian all-rounder Yuvraj Singh for training Shubman Gill well, after Edgbaston double-hundred. (via Indian Express)

Ex-Indian cricketer-turned outspoken critic Yograj Singh credited his son and 2011 World Cup hero Yuvraj Singh for having trained Shubman Gill well. Yograj Singh emphatically reacted to the Indian captain’s remarkable double century in the second Test match against England at Edgbaston.

Defying expectations and silencing critics, Shubman Gill delivered a masterclass innings against England in the second Test at Edgbaston. The 25-year-old, recently appointed as India’s red-ball captain and coming off a captaincy debut defeat in Leeds, showcased grit with a remarkable 269-run knock off 387 balls. Gill’s innings featured 30 fours and 3 sixes, guiding India to a first-innings total of 587 runs.

Gill fell 31 runs short of completing his triple-century for India, which would have interestingly made him only the third Indian batter after Virender Sehwag and Karun Nair to do so. Nevertheless, the Punjab batter shattered several records, including the record for the highest score by an Indian captain in Tests. It also was the seventh-highest Test score by an Indian batter, as well the highest by an Indian in England.

While the cricketing world was left in awe of Gill’s knock, former Indian cricketer Yograj Singh had mixed reactions. The 67-year-old, father of arguably the greatest Indian all-rounder Yuvraj Singh, known for his explosive comments, did praise the young batter. However, he confusingly expressed disappointment that Gill could not complete his well-deserved triple-hundred, labeling his untimely dismissal as a ‘crime.’

Speaking to ANI, Yograj Singh disclosed that both he and his son, Yuvraj were pained at Shubman Gill’s dismissal, despite him being at a commanding position. Yograj also took the opportunity to commend his son, Yuvraj, for effectively training Gill, citing his display at Edgbaston as an evidence. Several other top Indian talents, including Abhishek Sharma, Arshdeep Singh, have all trained under Yuvraj at some point.

I am glad that whatever Yuvraj [Singh] has achieved in his life, he is giving it back to the players by coaching them. [Shubman] Gill, Abhishek [Sharma] and Arshdeep [Singh] have been his trainees. When Shubman got out, I was pained.

These young Punjab players, including Shubman Gill, were all trained by 2011 World Cup winner during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020-21. Yograj Singh, speaking about his son’s mentoring achievements, credited Yuvraj for identifying and honing Shubman Gill’s skills.

He even suggested that current players should learn more from former Indian stars like Yuvraj and Gautam Gambhir, specifically highlighting how Yuvraj helped improve Gill’s top-hand technique, enabling his impressive cover drives and pull shots. He added:

Yuvraj [Singh] knows how to make players. Players should learn from Yuvraj, Gautam Gambhir. They will scold players too, irrespective of how many runs you’ve scored or wickets you’ve taken.

Furthermore, Yograj Singh asserted that young players like Shubman Gill should critically evaluate their performances, even after scoring many runs or claiming many wickets. He claimed the 25-year-old has the potential for greater accomplishments, even predicting that he could surpass Brian Lara’s historic 400-run innings in the future. 

Shubman Gill Rewrites Test Records with Heroic 269 Against England at Edgbaston

Shubman Gill shattered a number of records, rewriting Indian Test history after scoring an incredible 269-run knock off 387 deliveries against England at the Edgbaston Cricket Ground in Birmingham. The 25-year-old most notably surpassed Virat Kohli’s record of the highest Test score by an Indian captain.

Shubman Gill 200
Shubman Gill scored a record-breaking double-century against England. (via Money Control)

Gill’s 269 is the highest individual Test score by an Indian batter outside Asia, even going past Sachin Tendulkar’s iconic 241-run knock in 2004, against Australia in Sydney. Shubman Gill also became the fifth batter in the long history of the game to score a double hundred, both in Tests and ODIs, joining an elite list of players including Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Rohit Sharma and Chris Gayle. 

His knock against England, is also the third-highest by an Indian batter in away Tests, behind Sehwag’s 309 (in Multan) and Rahul Dravid’s 270 (in Rawalpindi). Not only Gill, but veteran all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, who backed the Indian captain from the other end, stitching a 203-run sixth wicket stand, was equally impressive.