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Gill is just 31 runs away from joining the 3,000-run club in Test cricket. If he manages to score 50 runs in the first Test, he'll become the first Indian captain to slam 1,000 runs in a single World Test Championship cycle. His tally for the 2025-27 WTC cycle currently stands at 950.

Earlier, Virat Kohli had come closest to achieving this feat, scoring 944 runs in the 2019-21 WTC cycle. While Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ajinkya Rahane and Rohit Sharma have all aggregated 1,000 runs in a single WTC cycle in the past, they were not full-time captains when doing so.

Gill also has the chance to become the first Indian batter to slam a combined 3,000 runs in WTC history. He is 157 runs away from that feat.

Gill, who took over as India's Test captain last year, interacted with the media on the eve of the Test match and said the opportunity to lead India in such a significant match made the occasion even more special.

"It's a very big honour and privilege. Any Test match that you captain for your country is a huge deal. Obviously, leading my country in our 600th Test match is a big honour and privilege for me, and doing that on Independence Day is even more special for us," Gill said at the pre-match press conference.

The 26-year-old said he has become comfortable in the leadership role and believes India has made progress in the right direction during his first year as captain.

"I am very comfortable with the role. I think the way we've been progressing in the past year has been very pleasing to see from my perspective. I think we are taking all the right steps in the right direction," he said.