'Opening was not his place': Ganguly lauds Gill's record-breaking double ton

NEW DELHI: Former India captain Sourav Ganguly hailed Shubman Gill's majestic 269 in the second Test against England as “an absolute masterclass,” while suggesting that Gill has finally found his ideal position at No.4 in the Test batting order.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Ganguly took to X to praise the young skipper, writing: "An absolute masterclass from Gill... just flawless. One of the best innings I have seen in England in any era. So much improvement in the last few months. Probably opening was not his place in Test cricket."

Gill, who began his career as an opener, stepped into the pivotal No.4 slot previously held by icons Virat Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar - and made it his own.

His record-breaking double century on Thursday helped India post a mammoth 587 all out, before the bowlers reduced England to 77 for 3 at stumps on Day 2, giving the visitors a commanding 510-run lead.

"This is the result of work I put in before the series," Gill said after the day's play. "I’m glad it’s paying off."The 25-year-old became the first Indian and Asian captain to score a double hundred in a Test in England. He also surpassed Kohli’s 254* as the highest score by an Indian Test captain, and Tendulkar’s 241* as the highest by an Indian outside Asia. His knock also eclipsed Sunil Gavaskar’s 221 at The Oval as India’s top Test score in England.

India lost the series opener at Headingley despite Gill’s 147, but with his masterclass in Birmingham, they are now in pole position to level the series.As Ganguly put it, "A Test to win for India."