Top 5 highest test scores by Indian captains in England

Only two Indian captains have scored over 150 in a test innings against England in England.

Test cricket is considered as the hardest format of the game because it throws different challenges at the players. Similarly, England has never been an easy place to bat because of the swinging conditions.

For players from Indian subcontinent, these are alien conditions. That is why India and other Asian teams have not had much success in England. The use of Duke balls makes it even tougher for a batter to score runs. India have been traveling to England since 1932.

Since then, only a few Indian captains have scored centuries in these conditions. Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi was the first Indian captain to score a test century in England. In this list, we will take a look at the top five highest scores by Indian captains in test cricket in England.

Top five highest test scores by Indian captains in England:

5. Shubman Gill – 147 in Leeds, 2025

Shubman Gill made his captaincy debut against England at Headingley, Leeds in 2025. It was the first test for India after the retirements of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, and there was a lot of talk about the decision to make Gill the test captain.

But he answered everyone with his bat and slammed 147 runs, with 19 fours and one six in the first innings. Though India lost that game, Gill had a tremendous start to his test captaincy.

4. Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi – 148 in Leeds, 1967

Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi was one of the greatest captains in Indian cricket history. He played 46 tests for India and led the country in 40 of them. He scored a fighting century in Leeds in 1967 to save the test.

After conceding 550 in the first innings, India were bowled out for 164 in the first innings and then were made bat again follow-on. Pataudi scored 148 off 348 balls in the second innings to guide the team total to 510 runs. However, India didn’t win the game, but his knock had an impact on Indian cricket.

3. Virat Kohli – 149, Birmingham, 2018

India’s tour of England in 2018 saw the real dominance of Virat Kohli, where he finished with 593 runs and won Player of the Series award. This tour came after a disastrous 2014 tour of England. Virat started the tour with a bang and slammed 149 runs, with 22 fours and one six in the first test in Birmingham.

He was unfortunate to miss a landmark by just one run, but that innings was an example of counterattacking a century under difficult conditions against a strong opponent.

2. Mohammad Azharuddin – 179, Manchester, 1990

Mohammad Azharuddin was the first Indian captain to win ten or more test matches in his stint. He played some incredible knocks as captain. One of those came in Manchester against England during the 1990-91 tour.

He slammed 179 runs off 243 balls, with 21 fours and one six. India made 432 in reply to England’s 519. The game ended in a draw, but Azharuddin became the first Indian captain with a score of 150 or more in test cricket in England.

1. Shubman Gill – 269, Birmingham, 2025

Not just for India, in fact Shubman Gill is the first Asian captain to score a double hundred in England and SENA countries. He slammed an elegant double hundred against England in July 2025 at Edgbaston, Birmingham.

Gill played a risk-free knock and didn’t allow England to dominate the game, and he went on to become the first Indian captain with a double century in England.

(All stats updated till 3rd July, 2025)

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