Shubman Gill will begin his reign as India’s Test captain when the Men in Blue play England in a five-match series beginning on Friday, June 20, with the opening Test in Headingley, Leeds. The Punjab batsman became India’s 37th Test captain, after Rohit Sharma, who retired from the longest format of the game on May 7.
Ahead of his captaincy spell, Shubman Gill is under fire from certain fans for utilising the ‘Prince’ engraving on his new bat.
The 25-year-old showcased his new willow ahead of the next England series, as the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) released photos from a special captain’s photoshoot in which Gill posed wearing the India captain’s jacket and cap.
During the picture, the brilliant batsman also showed off his new bat, which he used during the recently completed Indian Premier League 2025 (IPL 2025). The bat, with the ‘Prince’ engraving, piqued fans’ interest as the new India Test skipper prepares to wield it for the first time in international cricket next week.
Gill is often referred to as the “Prince of Indian cricket,” and many feel he will be the next poster boy for the Indian cricket team after Virat Kohli. However, his self-proclamation of the title has irritated some supporters, and he has received much criticism.
Take a look at some of the reactions from fans below:
🚨 INDIAN TEST CAPTAIN – GILL 🚨 pic.twitter.com/DLrtIk7uAY
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) June 11, 2025
🚨The Overhyped “Prince” of Indian Cricket🚨
Shubman Gill is so self-obsessed. Who even called you the Prince? A so-called ‘Prince of ICT with a poor SENA record, a below 35 Test average, and zero overseas centuries across all formats after 5 years in his international career. pic.twitter.com/SKxiUKT0pa
— Niik (@Niiki099) June 11, 2025
Don’t even remember that so called self proclaimed prince shubman gill scoring even a 50 outside India
Last I remember was that gabba test
How did he become captain
🤬🤬🤬#INDvsENG
— BrutalBoy🧢 (@kohlifan1383) June 11, 2025
Sachin Tendulkar never played with a bat that had “God” written over it and Virat Kohli never played with a bat that had “King” written over it. You get tags with your performances and the tags are given by the greats of the game and not from the social media.
— Cricket🏏 Lover // ICT Fan Account (@CricCrazyV) June 11, 2025
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