How does new captain Gill compare to India batting greats?

Shubman Gill is not short on confidence.

Nicknamed 'Prince' by India cricket supporters, he is regarded as the next big thing to follow the 'Little Master' Sachin Tendulkar and 'King' Virat Kohli.

India's prince is now a ruler, though, with the fresh-faced batter taking over the Test captaincy reins from Rohit Sharma for this summer's tour of England.

The fact Gill has leaned into the 'Prince' moniker by having it inscribed on his bat - to the annoyance of some fans - underlines the unwavering belief in his talents.

But is Gill as good as those who came before him? Is he a smart choice as captain? And how can England get the better of him this summer?

Let's start with the most impressive of all Gill stats: he has the second-best one-day international batting average of all time (59), sandwiched between the Netherlands' Ryan ten Doeschate (67), who is on the India coaching staff for this tour, and Kohli (58) himself.

Maybe it's unfair to draw comparisons in Test cricket just yet, but there's no denying 25-year-old Gill is following in a rich lineage of Indian cricket batting greats.

And this is where he doesn't quite live up to his lofty billing. His Test batting average of 35 lags behind Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Rohit Sharma and Kohli at the same stage of their career.

In fact, it's significantly behind Dravid and Tendulkar, who were both averaging the widely accepted world-class mark of 50 by their 32nd Test.

But while Tendulkar - the most prolific international batter of all time -, external was just 16 when he made his Test debut, Gill was younger than both Kohli and Dravid when given his chance in the Boxing Day Test at the MCG in 2020.

The signs were good for Gill when he averaged almost 52 in three Tests in Australia as India lifted the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

Dips in form and an injury in England in the summer of 2021 followed, but Gill's trajectory was heading only one way.

His first Test century came in Bangladesh in 2022, before a career-best 128 against Australia in Ahmedabad in 2023 preceded two centuries against England on their tour of India in early 2024.

"There was a phase where I got 40s or 50s," said Gill, speaking in 2023. "So I felt that I was being overly defensive after getting set. That isn't my game. When I get set, I catch my rhythm.

"I'd rather accept being dismissed while going for a shot. It wasn't acceptable to me that I got out while trying to adapt to a style which didn't come naturally to me. All of my dismissals in this period were off defensive shots."

So has Gill been more positive in recent years?

Yes: in short, he's playing more attacking shots and leaving the ball less.

Kohli, in particular, was desperate to do well in England after previous failures and Gill will surely be no different.

Curiously, he has played three Tests in England against three different opponents.

That happened by virtue of appearing in India's two World Test Championship final appearances against New Zealand and Australia, plus one Test against England in 2022.

A top score of 28 in six innings will surely be improved upon this summer, but England will be more than aware that four of Gill's dismissals in the UK have been either caught behind by the keeper or in the slip cordon.

What is interesting about Gill is how significantly better he is against spin (averaging 42) compared to pace (31).

Despite this, however, he is not a prolific sweeper. When he does use that shot he strikes at 212 per 100 balls.

He loves to latch on to anything short, striking at 190 on the pull shot which has brought him 29 fours and three sixes in Test cricket for the price of just one dismissal.

The shot which has brought him the most runs is the drive, but his strength is also a weakness, with that accounting for five dismissals.

Perhaps typical of any opener, some 21 of his dismissals in Test cricket have come playing a forward defensive shot. This is another reason why England will be packing the slip cordon with the new ball.

Interestingly, he averages 40 against fast bowling of 87mph upwards and 22 against the slower seam bowlers.

The retired James Anderson has got him out more than anyone else in Test cricket, while Gill has also struggled against Australia's Scott Boland.

Could Chris Woakes be England's man to make the opposition captain his bunny this summer?

Gill has some leadership experience, having captained India in five T20 internationals and taking charge of Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League.

Gujarat finished third in the 2025 IPL, having been eighth the year before - Gill's first in charge. He has a win percentage of 52%, which is nothing spectacular compared to Hardik Pandya's 71% in more games in charge of the Titans.

Australia great Ricky Ponting believes "leadership sits really well" with Gill, while the player himself says he is embracing the challenge.

If his desire to be more positive with the bat sounds very similar to the mantra within the England camp - Gill played under England head coach Brendon McCullum in the IPL - so is his leadership philosophy.

"What I like is communication with the players, making the players feel secure, talking to them, giving them comfort around their weaknesses and strengths," Gill said when unveiled as skipper.

"If you are a captain of any team or a leader of any team, if your players feel very secure, only then they can give their 100%."

What is for sure is that he will be more Kohli than Rohit in the field.

Never one to take a backward step, Gill sledged James Anderson and Jonny Bairstow in a Test in India, while umpires have felt his presence when in charge at the IPL.

India's 'Prince' may have chiselled, film star-like good looks, but he will be prepared to fight if the crown slips.