147, 8, 269, 100! These are Shubman Gill’s scores since taking over as India’s new Test captain and slotting in at No. 4. Fresh from a majestic 269 in the first innings, Gill resumed his dominance with an unbeaten century in the second innings — his second of the match — as India tightened their grip on the second Test at Edgbaston.

With vice-captain Rishabh Pant chipping in with a fluent 65, India reached 304/4 at tea on Day 4, stretching their lead to a mammoth 484 runs, and placing England on the brink of an almost unscalable target.

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In doing so, Gill became only the second Indian after Sunil Gavaskar to register a double century and a century in the same Test. Gavaskar had scored 124 and 220 against West Indies at Port of Spain in 1971. Gill’s aggregate of 369 runs in this match is now the highest for an Indian in a men’s Test match, surpassing Gavaskar’s 344.

With 524 runs in four innings as captain, Gill’s sensational run has even sparked whispers of a possible challenge to Don Bradman’s record of 974 runs in a single series, if his form continues.

As for this Test, England now face the daunting task of chasing down what would be a world-record fourth-innings target. The current record stands at 418, achieved by the West Indies against Australia in 2003.

India lost just one wicket in the second session — that of Pant — but Gill (100*) and Ravindra Jadeja (25*), promoted above Nitish Kumar Reddy, added 68 runs to extend India’s already commanding position.

Resuming at 177/3 after lunch, Gill and Pant upped the tempo. Gill brought up his half-century in 57 balls with a confident pull shot, while Pant, dropped early on 10 by Zak Crawley, made England pay. He reached his 16th Test fifty with a flick off Josh Tongue, and followed it up with a six over cow corner that took India’s lead past 400. Their 100-run partnership came off just 92 balls.

Pant continued to counterattack, hitting a couple of boundaries off Shoaib Bashir, before falling while attempting another big shot — caught by Ben Duckett at long-off.

Gill, meanwhile, remained composed and clinical, mixing aggression with patience as he brought up his third century in four innings as captain.

Earlier in the day, England struck early, removing KL Rahul and Karun Nair. Rahul, who resumed on 28, completed his 18th Test fifty before being bowled by a beauty from Tongue. Nair, who had built a steady 45-run stand with Rahul, was dismissed for 26, caught behind off a probing delivery from Brydon Carse.

Despite Carse’s impressive spell — including a nasty blow to Nair’s helmet — India stayed in control. A misjudged review by England against Gill further underlined their desperation as India’s lead crossed the 300-run mark.

Pant then launched a counterattack right from the start of his innings, with a pull for four followed by a lofted six, setting the tone for an aggressive stand with Gill that tilted the game firmly in India’s favour.

Brief Scores: India 587 and 304/4** (Shubman Gill 100*, Rishabh Pant 65, KL Rahul 55; Josh Tongue 2/93). England 407. India lead by 484 runs.