'Prince' Shubman Gill's Act With MRF Bat Triggers Huge Storm Ahead Of England Tests
Shubman Gill has been appointed as India's new Test captain, replacing Rohit Sharma.
The Indian squad will face England in a five-match Test series starting June 20, 2025.
Fans have criticised Gill for labeling his bat with the nickname "Prince," unlike past stars.
India's newly-appointed Test skipper, Shubman Gills, gears up for a new adventure as he leads a young bunch of players in a 5-match series against England. Gill, who takes over the team's leadership responsibilities from Rohit Sharma, who has now retired from Test cricket, was spotted in a few customary photo sessions ahead of the start of the series. In the pictures of the shoot that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) shared on social media, the word 'price' could be seen written alongside the MRF logo on the bat.
The 'Prince' engraving on the bat, however, hasn't gone down well with fans, with Gill being labelled a 'self-obsessed cricketer'. Gill got the 'Prince' tag from fans, much like Virat Kohli is called 'King' and Sachin Tendulkar 'God'. But, neither Kohli nor Tendulkar ever used these fan-given tags on their bats.
Here are some reactions by fans:
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
Self Claimed Prince Gill became Captain and starts lobbying. pic.twitter.com/C7eCq8GT1O
— abhay singh (@abhaysingh_13) June 12, 2025
Prince pic.twitter.com/sIwAyrqgNU
— Naveen lucky (@Vk18_oneeight) June 11, 2025
Since arriving in England last week, Gill has been putting in the hard yards. He has faced the searing pace of Mohammed Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah. Arshdeep Singh, one of the members of India's fast bowling quartet, was quick to note that the Test captain appeared to be in "good touch".
Days after his appointment, Gill revealed that he is "overwhelmed" by the emotions and said in a video posted by the BCCI, "As a young kid, when anyone starts playing cricket, they want to play for India, and not just play for India, but play test cricket for India for a very long time. To be able to get this opportunity is a great honour. And like you said, it is a big responsibility."
The five-test tour of England, starting June 20 at Leeds and lasting until August 2025. With India lining up without its batting bigwigs Rohit and Virat following their retirement from the game's longest format, the onus lies on the Shubman-led revamped side to prove itself away from home in testing and gruelling English conditions.
The series will be held from June to August 2025, with matches scheduled at Headingley in Leeds, Edgbaston in Birmingham, Lord's and The Oval in London, and Old Trafford in Manchester.
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