The controversy was ignited after the official photo-shoot of team India ahead of the England tour
Just weeks after ending rift rumors with Hardik Pandya with clarification on Instagram, Team India's new Test captain Shubman Gill found himself surrounded in a fresh controversy.
However, the latest controversy was not fueled by his actions on the field or because of his batting form.
The new dispute was ignited after the official photo-shoot of team India ahead of the England tour. Gill, with a bat in one hand roared during the shoot, expressing confidence.
However, observant fans had something to say about Shubman's bat, or a sticker on his bat rather.
MRF, which sponsors Gill's kit holds a significance to itself.
Signing iconic players over decades with a list that includes the names like Sachin Tendulkar, Brain Lara, Rohit Sharma (Briefly), Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers, Gill's association with MRF is a statement in itself.
MRF stickers generally have Genius written on it, but Gill's bat additionally has "Prince" on the stickers irking the 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," a user on X wrote.
"Aare Prince tag MRF vale dete hai yaar. Please don't prove you are illiterate without knowing fully," another wrote.
While many fans pointed out that Sachin did not use 'God' and Kohli never used 'King'. Some even said Lara, who was the first cricketer to be called 'Prince' also never used the fan-name.
On the other hand, few stated that the special name would be decided by MRF itself and not the player. They pointed out "Run Machine" tag on Kohli's bat.
Meanwhile, former Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh on Wednesday backed the right-hand batter Shubman Gill, who was appointed the captain of the Indian Cricket Team in the longest format of the game recently and said that he should be given time to gave the results.
After batting wizards Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli bid adieu to Test cricket last month. India was left short on experience. With India bereft of its torchbearers, the management turned to youngsters to mark the beginning of a new era. After their decision, the captaincy baton was passed from Rohit to Gill.
Speaking on Shubman Gill's Test captaincy, Harbhajan told media, "Every captain has the capability to carry forward the legacy. Captains are not made in 1-2 months. You give some time to Gill, he will rise to the occasion, and you will see how capable he is as a captain. We have already seen him as a batter, that he is Gill Sahab the great
Further, the 44-year-old spoke about the upcoming tour of England, where the young brigade will play five Test matches 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.
"We hope that India does well once again on English soil, Best wishes to Shubman Gill and Team India. It is a young team but a 'dum waali team, the former spinner added.
