Virat Kohli’s 2018 masterclass against England still outshines Shubman Gill’s run-fest in 2025 | Cricket News
“I wasn’t even ten percent of that when I was 19.” That’s what Virat Kohli once said about a young Shubman Gill — a line that’s stayed with Indian cricket fans for years. It wasn’t just a compliment. It was admiration, almost reverence. And now, with Kohli stepping away from Test cricket, his words seem almost prophetic.As the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy concluded in England with a 2-2 draw, it was clear who the torchbearer of Indian batting had become. Shubman Gill, Kohli’s spiritual successor, not only led India as captain but also owned the No. 4 spot Kohli vacated. And he did it in style.
India and England may have split the series, but beneath the surface, the numbers tell a different story. India dominated, winning 33 sessions to England’s 21, with 18 tied. That depth of control rarely reflects in a drawn series, but this one was different, much like Gill’s performance.In a world powered by social media, debates around legacies, comparisons, and “better-than” discussions are unavoidable. Naturally, after such a sensational showing, comparisons between Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli surfaced once again.But comparing the two tours? That’s far from straightforward.
Shubman Gill scored 754 runs in the five-match series against England in 2025. (AP)
Gill finished the series with 754 runs, the most by any Indian batter in a single series on English soil, second only to the legendary Sunil Gavaskar’s 774 runs in 1971. He scored four centuries, including a career-best 269. It was a series for the ages.And yet, what Kohli achieved in 2018 still holds a special place in the folklore of Indian cricket. He made 593 runs across five Tests in a series where India lost 1-4. What those numbers fail to show is that Kohli was the only Indian batter who looked in control, often the only resistance against England’s relentless pace attack.
Virat Kohli scored 593 runs during India’s tour of England in 2018. (Image: X)
During that 2018 tour, he stood tall when the world crumbled around him. No one, from either teams, even crossed 500 runs in that series. Jos Buttler had 349 runs, Alastair Cook 327, and Joe Root 319. KL Rahul, the next best Indian batter, had 299. The gulf was stark. Kohli was a class apart.Now contrast that with 2025: Nine batters crossed the 400-run mark, the most ever in a single Test series. Previous best was the 1975–76 West Indies tour of Australia and the 1993 Ashes, where eight batters each managed the feat. Clearly, this was a batters’ paradise.Top run-getters in 2025 Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy
| Player | Runs | Avg | 100s |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shubman Gill (IND) | 754 | 75.40 | 4 |
| Joe Root (ENG) | 537 | 67.12 | 3 |
| KL Rahul (IND) | 532 | 53.20 | 2 |
| Ravindra Jadeja (IND) | 516 | 86.00 | 1 |
| Harry Brook (ENG) | 481 | 53.44 | 2 |
| Rishabh Pant (IND) | 479 | 68.42 | 2 |
| Ben Duckett (ENG) | 462 | 51.33 | 1 |
| Jamie Smith (ENG) | 434 | 62.00 | 1 |
| Yashasvi Jaiswal (IND) | 411 | 41.10 | 2 |
It’s a list packed with runs and sparkle, something that would have seemed impossible in 2018.The difference lies not just in the batters, but in the conditions.In 2018, India played on classic English green tops. Swing, seam, bounce, the ball did everything, all five days. It was brutal. Kohli, however, thrived. Against two of the greatest fast bowlers the game has seen, James Anderson and Stuart Broad, he stood undeterred. Anderson had made Kohli his bunny in 2014. Four years later, Kohli had the final word.Fast forward to 2025. The pitches in England looked very different. Flat, dry, and resembling sub-continent tracks. Batting was easier, and bowlers struggled to make the same impact. This was no fault of the batters, Gill’s runs were still phenomenal, but the challenge was undeniably different.
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So where does that leave us?Gill had the series of his life. He batted like a dream, led with elegance, and carried the weight of expectation with grace. He might never top this series again, and he doesn’t need to. But Kohli in 2018? That was something else. A lone warrior battling in the trenches, dragging his team forward in the toughest of conditions.Both series, both men, deserve celebration. But some innings live forever, not because of the numbers, but because of the fight behind them.Shubman Gill is walking a path Kohli once carved. And he’s doing it in his own way.
