Indian cricketers Shubman Gill and KL Rahul made history on Saturday during the fourth Test match against England at Old Trafford, Manchester. They became the first Indian pair in 55 years to each score over 500 runs in a single away Test series — a record last held by Sunil Gavaskar and Dilip Sardesai during their famous 1970-71 series against the West Indies.
India was in big trouble early in the game. They lost both Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sai Sudharsan for zero runs in the very first over, making the score 0/2. But Gill and Rahul stepped up, stayed strong under pressure, and ended the day at 174/2, still trailing by 137 runs but giving India some hope.
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During their fightback:
- Gill remained not out at 78, and Rahul at 87.
- Gill now has 697 runs in the series.
- Rahul crossed 500 runs, becoming only the second Indian opener after Gavaskar to do so in an away series.
This is only the second time in Indian cricket history that two batters have scored 500+ runs each in an away Test series:
- 1970-71: Sunil Gavaskar (774) & Dilip Sardesai (642)
- 2025: Shubman Gill (697) & KL Rahul (508)
Rahul also became:
- The second Asian opener after Gavaskar (542 in 1979) to score 500+ runs in a Test series in England.
- The first visiting opener in the 21st century to do this in England since South Africa’s Graeme Smith (714 runs in 2003).
With one day left in the match, this powerful performance by Gill and Rahul has not only given India hope but also secured their place in the history books.
