Former Indian wicket-keeper bat Dinesh Karthik reckons Shubman Gill will be under pressure to deliver as a captain and batter on the England tour. Gill will begin his captaincy stint with a tough tour of England, where it is not easy to bat and India has an inexperienced batting line-up after Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s Test retirement.
On the other hand, England batters are expected to adopt an aggressive approach but Karthik said the home team has an insipid bowling attack. The likes of Gus Atkinson, Jofra Archer, and Mark Wood are not part of the opening Test squad due to injury woes and Karthik reckons India could have an advantage.
Dinesh Karthik said on Sky Cricket, “I really don’t think he (Gill) has realized the enormity of what it means to be a Test captain for India as of now. He is walking into the lion’s den. Coming to England as a cricketing nation is not easy. There have been many a team with superstars who have come in and found it really really hard.”
“Luckily for Shubman Gill, I think the England bowling attack is a very vulnerable attack. That is the only positive I see. They are going to be put under pressure with the bat. England batting will definitely put the Indian team under pressure. But the bowling is an area that is still a work in progress for England and that could very well play into India’s hands.”
Meanwhile, Gill recently led Gujarat Titans to IPL 2025 playoffs but there is no doubt that leading India in Test cricket will be a different ball game altogether. However, Gill averages 25 outside the subcontinent and he would need to turn the tables. The right-hander has scored 88 runs in three Test matches in English conditions and he would need to improve his record in England.
The opening Test match between India and England will be played at Leeds, Headingley, from June 20 onwards.
