He was once dismissed as a home-track bully. Critics pointed fingers at his record in SENA countries—no centuries overseas, they scoffed. But Shubman Gill had other plans. And to make sure people never forgot who he truly was, he slapped a “Prince” sticker on his bat. A quiet message to his doubters: he is the Prince of batting.
Many thought his century at Headingley was just a flash in the pan. A one-off. But at Edgbaston, Gill delivered again—louder, grittier, and more assured. His bat did the talking, and the critics? Completely silenced.
It’s hard not to draw parallels. Rewind to 2018: Virat Kohli roaring at Edgbaston, fists clenched and eyes blazing. Fast forward to today, and it’s Gill—same venue, same fire, same roar. Different generations, same madness.
What makes Gill’s resurgence even more impressive is the captaincy factor. While many batters buckle under its weight, leadership seems to have brought out his best. This is a player who had never scored a single overseas Test century. Now, he has two in back-to-back matches—his first two as India’s captain. That makes him only the fourth Indian skipper to achieve that feat, after legends like Virat Kohli, Vijay Hazare, and Sunil Gavaskar. And only the second to score consecutive centuries in England.
It was his 7th Test hundred—but zoom out a little, and it was his 16th international ton. At 25, only Sachin Tendulkar (40) and Virat Kohli (26) had more centuries for India. That’s elite company.
And here’s a stat for the purists: in his last 13 innings against England, Gill has racked up five centuries and four half-centuries. That’s not a purple patch—that’s domination.
Before the series, Gill said he wanted to be the best batter. Turns out, he wasn’t just dreaming big. He was delivering spoilers. The Prince has arrived. And he’s not done yet.
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