Former wicket keeper Dinesh Karthik feels Shubman Gill hasn’t fully understood what it means to be India’s Test captain, as he prepares to face tough challenges with a not-so-great batting average overseas, as reported by Sky Sports.
India is starting a new chapter in Test cricket without the big names like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Shubman, who impressed everyone with his captaincy for the Gujarat Titans in the IPL, is seen as Rohit’s replacement. His first task is an England tour, where India hasn’t won a Test series since 2007. While India’s situation hasn’t improved much, England has become a strong team under coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes. They haven’t lost a home Test series since McCullum took charge in 2022.
Read Also:- Fastest batters to 1000 Test Runs
Karthik says with India’s experienced players missing, the only good news for Gill and the team is that England’s bowling isn’t at its best. “I don’t think he realizes how big this role is yet. He’s heading into a tough situation. But luckily for him, England’s bowling attack has its weaknesses. That’s the one positive I see. Their batting will put pressure on India, but the bowling still needs work,” Karthik said on Sky Sports.
Gill has played in England before but hasn’t done well, averaging just 14.66. Karthik advises him to focus on his batting and only think about captaincy when it comes to fielding. With the first Test starting at Headingley on June 20, Karthik feels it’s a great chance for the young captain to score runs and earn respect in the team.
See Also:- Most sixes in Test Cricket
“The first thing I’d tell Shubman is to focus on batting. Keep your captaincy thoughts for when you’re fielding. It’s important he scores to gain respect in the dressing room. His average in SENA countries isn’t something to be proud of,” he said. “He needs to get runs in that first Test to avoid putting extra pressure on himself in the next one. I think he can do it.”
India Squad: Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (vc, wk), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudarshan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav
