Shubman Gill vs Virat Kohli at 26: Who Had the Better Start and Can Gill Break Kohli's Records?

Shubman Gill vs Virat Kohli at 26 (Quick Answer)

Who Had the Better Start?

Kohli had the edge. By 26, he'd already established himself as India's most reliable ODI batter, averaged close to 55 in the format across 160+ innings, and had 23 ODI centuries to his name. Gill, at the same age, had 8 ODI hundreds and was still building his Test record. Both were clearly generational talents. But Kohli's numbers at 26 were on a different planet.

Key Differences Between Gill and Kohli at Age 26

Kohli debuted internationally at 19. Gill at 19 was still waiting for his first Test cap. That head start shows. Kohli's ODI debut came in August 2008, giving him nearly 8 years of international cricket under his belt by the time he turned 26. Gill's Test debut came in December 2020, meaning he had just 5 years of senior international cricket by the same life stage.

The other difference? Context. Kohli entered a settled side with clear roles. Gill had to fight through format shuffling, IPL captaincy changes, and a Test setup still in transition after the Rohit era.

 

You can also check out Ruturaj Gaikwad vs Shubman Gill: Who Deserves India's ODI Opening Spot?.

 

Why Is Shubman Gill Being Compared to Virat Kohli?

Gill's Rise Across Formats

The numbers forced the conversation. Gill is the fastest player to reach 2,000 ODI runs in 38 innings and 2,500 runs in 50 innings. He also holds the record for the youngest cricketer to score a double century in ODIs, at the age of 23. He already has double centuries in both ODIs and Tests, along with a T20I hundred. That cross-format depth is rare. Very few batters pull it off so early.

In 2025, Gill scored 983 runs in nine Tests with a batting average of 70.21. He became only the third player, after Don Bradman and Sunil Gavaskar, to score four centuries while captaining the national team in a bilateral Test series.

Why Kohli Remains the Benchmark for Indian Batters

Simple: longevity plus volume. Kohli's 82 international centuries place him second only to Sachin Tendulkar's 100. Over a 17-year career spanning 311 ODI matches, he amassed 14,797 runs at an average of 58.71 with 54 centuries, the most by any batter in ODI history. Every young Indian batter gets measured against that bar. Gill is just the latest.

 

Shubman Gill vs Virat Kohli at 26: Stats Comparison

 

Test Cricket Record at 26

Kohli turned 26 in November 2014, shortly after taking over the Test captaincy from MS Dhoni in Australia. By then, his Test average was around 45 across 50 Tests with 11 centuries. In that 2014-15 Border-Gavaskar Trophy alone, he accumulated 692 runs in 4 matches including 4 centuries.

Gill, at 26 (September 2025), had played roughly 40 Tests, scoring around 2,843 runs at an average of 43. His big statement came against England: he amassed 754 runs in 10 innings with four hundreds and a best of 269 during his Test tour of England.

ODI Record at 26

This is where the gap widens sharply. At age 25, Kohli had already become the fastest to reach 20 ODI hundreds, doing it in just 133 innings. He had 5,879 runs from 141 matches at an average of 51.57. By 26, he had 23+ hundreds and was averaging north of 55.

Gill's ODI record shows 61 matches, 2,953 runs at an average of 56. Impressive, but fewer opportunities. Kohli had played more than twice as many ODIs by the same age.

T20I Record at 26

Format	Kohli at 26	Gill at 26
Tests	~50 matches, 45 avg, 11 hundreds	~40 matches, 43 avg, 6 hundreds
ODIs	~180 matches, 55 avg, 23 hundreds	~61 matches, 56 avg, 8 hundreds
T20s	~60 matches, 48 avg, 1 hundred	~21 matches, 30 avg, 1 hundred

 

You can also check out How Virat Kohli started his career.

 

Areas Where Shubman Gill Is Ahead of Virat Kohli

Captaincy Opportunities at a Younger Age

Gill broke Sunil Gavaskar's 49-year-old record by becoming the youngest Indian captain to win a Test match overseas, reaching that milestone at 25 years and 301 days. Kohli didn't get the Test captaincy until December 2014, when he was already 26. Gill's leadership apprenticeship started earlier, which matters for long-term development.

Faster Start in Certain Formats

In ODIs, Gill's conversion rate and early run-scoring pace actually edges Kohli out. The fastest to 2,000 ODI runs. The youngest to a double century in the format. In the first 60 ODI innings, Gill's average competes with Kohli's at the same stage. The raw talent was always there; the volume is catching up.

 

Areas Where Virat Kohli Had the Edge

 

Match-Winning Performances Under Pressure

Kohli built his name in chases. By 26, he already had a reputation as India's go-to batter when the target was steep and the situation was tight. The 2012 Asia Cup 183 against Pakistan. Multiple chase-masterclasses in the CB series in Australia. Those weren't ordinary hundreds. They were defining ones.

Gill has big scores. He hasn't yet had that single pressure-cooker knock that becomes part of Indian cricket folklore.

Consistency Across Formats

Kohli at 26 was elite in all three formats simultaneously. Gill's T20I record at 26 is genuinely patchy. Average of 30 over 21 games is solid but not Kohli-level. And the T20I captaincy question remains open: the national selectors chose Sanju Samson over Gill for India's T20 World Cup 2026 squad.

 

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Can Shubman Gill Break Virat Kohli's Records?

 

Records Gill Can Realistically Challenge

The ODI record is the most accessible. Kohli's 54 ODI hundreds is enormous, but Gill's conversion rate and volume of opportunities ahead of him make it a real conversation. If he stays fit, plays 300+ ODIs, and maintains a similar rate, 40+ ODI tons is achievable.

The fastest player to various milestones (5,000 runs, 10,000 runs in ODIs) are also within reach given the pace Gill has shown so far.

Records That May Be Difficult to Surpass

The Test record. Kohli played 123 Tests, scoring 9,230 runs at an average of 46.85, with 30 centuries, including 7 double hundreds. That requires 15 more years of playing Test cricket consistently. Gill has also just lost 4-5 years of Test cricket through format juggling and late debuts. The raw math makes it hard.

 

What Gill Must Do to Surpass Virat Kohli

Longevity and Fitness

Kohli's career spanned 17 years of international cricket. That kind of longevity requires obsessive fitness management. Gill shows good athletic habits, but the true test is what happens at 30, 32, 34. Kohli was still averaging 55 in ODIs at 34. That's the bar.

Consistency in ICC Events

Gill's ICC tournament record needs to grow. He was vice captain as India won the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy. That's a start. But Kohli has three Player of the Tournament awards at global ICC events. Tournament cricket is where reputations solidify.

Converting Starts Into Big Hundreds

Gill gets in. Regularly. The question is how often he converts a fifty into a 150. Kohli's conversion rate from fifty to hundred was exceptional. That ruthless gear-change is the hardest thing to replicate.

 

Final Verdict – Can Shubman Gill Become India's Next Virat Kohli?

Probably not Kohli's equal. And that's fine, because barely anyone in cricket history has been.

What Gill can be is India's best batter for the next decade. The talent is there. The records he's already broken suggest a player who processes batting differently from his peers. The double centuries in two formats before turning 26. The Test captaincy wins overseas. The IPL seasons that showed he can anchor and accelerate.

Kohli at 26 was already the finished product in ODIs and closing in fast in Tests. Gill at 26 is still building, still finding his ceiling. The comparison flatters Kohli statistically and flatters Gill in terms of what still lies ahead. That's the honest read.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

 

Who had better stats at 26, Shubman Gill or Virat Kohli?

Kohli, clearly, in volume and impact. He had more than 23 ODI centuries and had played nearly 3x as many internationals by the same age. In averages alone, the gap is smaller, but the weight of Kohli's performances at 26 was greater.

Can Shubman Gill break Virat Kohli's records?

Some of them, yes. The ODI records (fastest to milestones, total centuries) are the most realistic targets if Gill plays for another decade at his current rate. The Test and career records are harder given the head start Kohli had.

Is Shubman Gill the next Virat Kohli?

He's the closest thing Indian cricket has right now. Same right-handed top-order pedigree, similar hunger for big scores, cross-format excellence. But Kohli's career was unusually complete. Gill needs another 10 years of performance before that comparison is settled.

Who has more centuries at age 26?

Kohli had significantly more. Around 23-25 international hundreds across formats by November 2014. Gill had around 15 by September 2025, but played far fewer matches by that point.

Can Gill become one of India's greatest batters?

The trajectory says yes. Youngest Indian captain to win overseas. Fastest to multiple ODI milestones. Double centuries in two formats. If the next decade adds to that foundation, the conversation writes itself.