Shubman Gill. (Photo source: BCCI)
is all set to start his tenure as India's Test captain when the Men in Blue face England in a five-match series, starting on Friday, June 20, with the first Test at Headingley, Leeds. The Punjab batter became India's 37th Test captain, replacing Rohit Sharma, who retired from the longest format of the game on May 7.
Ahead of his captaincy stint, Shubman is being slammed by a section of the fans for using the ‘Prince’ engraving on his new bat. The 25-year-old unveiled his new willow ahead of the impending England series as the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) shared photographs from a special captain’s photoshoot, where Gill posed wearing the India captain’s blazer and cap.
During the photoshoot, the talented batter also displayed his new bat, which he used during the recently concluded Indian Premier League 2025 (IPL 2025). The bat, having the ‘Prince’ engraving, caught the attention of fans as the new India Test captain is set to use it for the first time in international cricket next week.
Gill is often referred to as the Prince of Indian cricket, as many believe that he could be the next poster boy of the Indian cricket team after Virat Kohli. However, his self-proclamation of the title has rubbed some fans the wrong way as he’s being widely criticised.
Take a look at some of the reactions from fans below:
