Shubman Gill faces a baptism by fire as India’s newly appointed Test captain, with his first assignment itself being leading the team on a five-match tour of England. Moreover, his team, particularly the batting unit, is particularly inexperienced, with this being India’s first series since the retirements of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Dinesh Karthik, who was part of India’s 2018 series in England under Kohli, has said that Gill probably hasn’t wrapped his head around just how enormous a task it is to be India’s Test captain.
“I really don’t think he has realised the enormity of what it means to be the Test captain for India as of now. He is walking into the lion’s den,” Karthik told Sky Sports. The former wicketkeeper-batter also noted that many a star-studded side over the years have been humbled during a tour of England but what can work in India’s favour this time is that the hosts themselves have a shaky bowling attack.
“Coming to England as a cricketing nation is not easy. There have been many a team with superstars who have come in and have found it really, really hard,” Karthik said. “Luckily, luckily for , I think the England bowling attack is very vulnerable. That is the only positive I see.”
“They are going to be put under pressure with the bat. When I say bat, I mean England’s batting will definitely put the Indian team under pressure. The bowling is an area that is still a work in progress for England, and that could very well play into India’s hands,” he further added.
Gill on his part , the two players under whom he has played thus far in his Test career. “It can seem like he is not aggressive, but Rohit is very aggressive in terms of his tactics. He is someone who is very clear with his communication prior to the matches, during the series and even after the series, what he wants from the players,” Gill said to SkySports.
“The kind of environment Rohit bhai kept, even if Rohit bhai is swearing at you, you would not take it to your heart. That’s just kind of his personality. I think that’s a great trait to have. He’s firm, but even if he’s being hard on you, you know that it’s not coming from his heart. It’s coming from a team perspective,” he added.
He also said he learned so much from the “proactive” leadership of . “When I played under Virat, I think his proactiveness in Test matches with the field or with the ideas or with his thinking was something that I liked and that I picked up. If he thinks that, okay, this plan is not working, he would immediately have another plan, communicate to the bowler what he wants from them,” he noted.
