The ‘Prince’ of Indian Cricket, Shubman Gill is turning into the new Poster Boy of Men in Blue

QUICK TAKEAWAYS

• Shubman Gill is currently the Indian Test and ODI team captain, with selectors positioning him as the new face of the Indian cricket team.
• He holds the record of the highest score by an Indian Test captain in a single innings of a Test Match. He achieved this feat during India’s tour of England in 2025, scoring 269 at Edgbaston.
• He hit 154 against Afghanistan on June 17, 2026, his ninth ODI century, leading India to victory in the 3-match series. Also, it was India’s first 400+ score in nearly three years.

The Rise of Shubman Gill’s stature as the Prince of Indian Cricket has been nothing but phenomenal and a fairy tale story. His nickname, Prince, has clung to Shubman since his earliest days. Born in Fazilka, he moved to Mohali at a very young age because the city had better facilities for training. 

Gill has had a natural elegance in his batting, and he showcased it to the world almost immediately since making in India colours during the Under 19 World Cup and then in the national side. His talent and natural ability to strike the ball cleanly and with elegance was first spotted by one of the most majestic left handers Indian cricket has produced, Yuvraj Singh. 

After scoring an incredible double century in an ODI against New Zealand in 2023 and being an integral part of the Gujarat Titans that reached the IPL finals back-to-back in 2022 and 2023, Singh dubbed him the Prince. Former Indian opener and commentator, Aakash Chopra, went a step further and remarked that the young boy from Punjab is ‘no lesser than the King,’ and the data was already there to underpin his bold claim. 

From a Prodigy to India’s Captain

Gill’s rise to being a superstar was inevitable, but the pace at which he climbed to the top is astonishing, and it was backed by some incredible performances on the field. He became the fastest Indian to smash 1,000 ODI runs in just 19 innings, overtaking King Kohli. 

He then broke South African legend, Hashim Amla’s record to become the fastest man to reach 2,500 runs in ODIs in just 50 innings. Furthermore, he became the youngest player in ODI history to score a double century, smashing 208 against New Zealand at just 23. 

This knock, eventually turned out to be the turning point of his career as it confirmed to the Indian selectors that he was the new face of Indian Cricket Team. In 2025, after the Hit Man, Rohit Sharma announced his retirement from Test Cricket, the BCCI handed Gill the captaincy and he took on the responsibility like a duck to the water. He later also went to become the ODI captain and is seen as the man to lead India in the 2027 World Cup.