According to legendary Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar, Shubman Gill's 754 runs are much more than his 1971 total. In the fifth Test match against England in London on August 3, Gill concluded with 754 runs, only 20 runs short of Gavaskar's record of 774.

Shubman Gill hit 4 centuries, including the best score of 269. He also hit twin centuries in India’s win at the Edgbaston Test, where he slammed 269 and 169, the most runs by an Indian in a Test match.

"I think in anticipation of him going past my record, I got something for him. But, well, I mean, this is all in God's hands. But 754 runs—it's fantastic. The difference is that 754 came with the additional responsibility of being captain. I was the baby of the team. You know, it wouldn't have mattered if I had failed.

Nobody would have given a hoot if I had failed. But to be the captain and score 750-plus runs, 750-plus runs where he's making a difference to his side's fortunes. Don’t go by those 20 runs, but just see what that 754 has done for Indian cricket,” Gavaskar said on Sony Sports.

Sunil Gavaskar gave Shubman Gill a customized shirt with his initials "SG" and a unique autographed cap after the game that day.

“I have got a gift for you in anticipation of you going past (me). At least you’ve got something to aim for in the next series. It is just a little gift. It is a shirt with SG initials; someone made it for me, and I am giving this to you, but I don't know if it will fit you. This is a cap that I give to very few people with my signature. All the best," Gavaskar told Gill in a video shared on X by Sony Sports.  

In the closing seconds of Day 3, Gill and Mohammed Siraj put on a brilliant tactical display. They set up the field for a bouncer, which was a brilliant move, but instead, they hit Zak Crawley with a yorker.

Gavaskar expressed his admiration for the tactical play and made a promise regarding the next day's play: "That last over was fantastic. Sending a fielder over there but then bowling the yorker. Tomorrow I am going to wear my lucky jacket, which I wore in Australia—the white one during the Gabba Test—on the last day."

Sunil Gavaskar holds the record with 774 runs against the West Indies in 1971. The list of highest runs in a single Test series by Indians includes Gavaskar's 732 runs against the West Indies, Yashasvi Jaiswal's 712 runs against England, and Virat Kohli's 692 runs against Australia.