"Prince on his way to becoming King": Twitter reacts as Shubman Gill equals Virat Kohli with Test ton in England

Newly appointed India National Cricket Team Test captain Shubman Gill announced his arrival as skipper with an incredible knock in the series opener against the England National Cricket Team.

Shubman Gill smashed a sensational century in his debut innings as Test captain and joined the likes of Vijay Hazare, Sunil Gavaskar, and Virat Kohli in a legendary list.

Also Read: "England's new nightmare": Twitter reacts as Yashasvi Jaiswal hits brutal ton in 1st Test

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'Prince' Shubman Gill rewrites the record books on his captaincy debut

Gill was asked to do the tough job by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) when he was named as the successor of Rohit Sharma as the Test captain.

Not only this, an additional responsibility fell on his shoulders when the team management decided to push him one spot down in the batting order to replace Virat Kohli at No.4.

And to make things even tougher, Gill's first stint as Test skipper is in England, where India have not won a series since 2007, and the batter himself had a poor record on English soil.

Despite all these things, Gill didn't look under any kind of pressure when he walked out to bat. He looked quite focused from the very start and batted with great intent.

Gill made the most of the stage set by centurion Yashasvi Jaiswal and played a wonderful innings, troubling the English bowlers. He reached his half-century milestone off just 56 balls, showcasing the positive intent.

After that, Gill got a little cautious, but he ensured that he reached the three-figure mark and completed his century off 140 balls with a four. He removed his helmet and roared aggressively before pulling off his trademark celebration.

Fans react to Shubman Gill's excellent ton

After Gill smashed a ton, fans on X lauded the Prince of Indian Cricket and stated that he is ready to take over from the King Virat Kohli.

What a statement on Captaincy debut. 88 runs in the last 6 innings in England, captaincy pressure and he delivers a fantastic ton.

— arfan (@Im__Arfan) June 20, 2025

Indian Test Captain - Shubman Gill brings up his 💯in fine style and control. Well played @ShubmanGill #ENGvsIND Grit and determination at its best. 👏🏻👏🏻

— Anjum Chopra (@chopraanjum) June 20, 2025

HUNDRED ON TEST CAPTAINCY DEBUT for Shubman Gill. Prince follows in the footsteps of King.#CricketTwitter

— Sudharshan R (@rsudharshan95) June 20, 2025

What a shot to reach that milestone. That’s a big one. 100 on his captaincy debut, well done #ShubmanGill

— Somya Kapoor (@iamsom_15) June 20, 2025

The transition at no 4 is here. This century from Gill has been fluent, controlled, stylish and has carried an air of inevitability to it.

— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) June 20, 2025

Century with 73 strike rate in England on captaincy debut 👊
Legendary stuff from Shubman Gill & a slap on the face of all his doubters 👏🇮🇳 @ShubmanGill

— Sushant Mehta (@SushantNMehta) June 20, 2025

First, probably of many, SENA Test hundreds for Captain Gill. He’s just walked the talk!#INDvsENG #LeedsTest

— Vikrant Gupta (@vikrantgupta73) June 20, 2025

Such a classy ton by @ShubmanGill in his first Test as captain. Came in to bat in a tricky situation, but has shown great aptitude and strong attitude to take the team out of trouble into a position from where India can call the shots

— Cricketwallah (@cricketwallah) June 20, 2025

Some things clearly are written in the stars 🌟 Congratulations @ShubmanGill on your first overseas century as Test captain 💯 You clearly understand what a serious responsibility it is and you’ve let your bat do all the talking 🤫 Well done 🤛🏻 and here’s to many more! #INDvsENG

— Yuvraj Singh (@YUVSTRONG12) June 20, 2025

King Rests. Prince Arrives!🤍#INDvsENG

— __ice_n_fire__ (@bharathparasu) June 20, 2025

🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 The Prince is on his way to become the King. A fantastic hundred by Captain Shubman Gill. #INDvsENG #INDvsENGTest #ENGvsIND #LeedsTest pic.twitter.com/caHFRw6rYb

— Raman (@RamanPrasad72) June 20, 2025

'Prince' Shubman Gill rewrites the record books on his captaincy debut

Gill achieved several massive feats after hitting the ton. He became the 33rd player to score a hundred on Test captaincy debut and the fifth Indian to achieve the feat. Also, he is just the fourth Indian after Vijay Hazare, Sunil Gavaskar, and Virat Kohli to hit a hundred in the debut innings as Test skipper.

Indian To Hit A Ton On Test Captaincy Debut:

Vijay Hazare (164* v ENG, 1951)

Sunil Gavaskar (116 v NZ, 1976)

Dilip Vengsarkar (102 v WI, 1987)

Virat Kohli (115 & 141 v AUS, 2015)

Shubman Gill (103* v ENG, 2025)

Indians To Score A Hundred In Their First Innings As Test Captain:

Vijay Hazare - 164* vs ENG, Delhi, 1951

Sunil Gavaskar - 116 vs NZ, Auckland, 1976

Virat Kohli - 115 & 141 vs AUS, Adelaide, 2014

Shubman Gill - 103* vs ENG, Leeds, 2025

Indians to score century while batting for the first time at No.4:

Sunil Gavaskar

Rahul Dravid

Virat Kohli

Shubman Gill

Indian Captains To Score Test Century In England:

1967 - MAK Pataudi at Leeds

1990 - M Azharuddin at Lords

1990 - M Azharuddin at Manchester

2002 - Sourav Ganguly at Leeds

2018 - Virat Kohli at Birmingham

2018 - Virat Kohli at Nottingham

2025 - Shubman Gill at Leeds

Youngest visiting captain to score a Test century in England in Tests:

22y 173d - Graeme Smith (SA) vs ENG, Birmingham, 2003

24y 44d - Javed Burki (PAK) vs ENG, Lord's, 1962

25y 285d - Shubman Gill (IND) vs ENG, Leeds, 2025

25y 324d - Billy Murdoch (AUS) vs ENG, The Oval, 1880