Don’t think Shubman has realised enormity of what it means to be India’s Test captain: Dinesh Karthik
London [UK], June 17 (ANI): Former wicketkeeper batter Dinesh Karthik believes Shubman Gill is yet to realise the “enormity” of what it means to be India’s Test captain as he prepares to step into a lion’s den with a scrappy overseas batting average, reported Sky Sports.
India stands on the horizon of witnessing a new sunrise, marking the commencement of an era in Test format without its batting bigwigs Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Shubman, who grabbed the spotlight with his clinical captaincy skills during his stint with Gujarat Titans in IPL, was deemed Rohit’s successor.
In his first assignment, Shubman is touring England, a territory where India last marshalled a Test series triumph in 2007. Even though India’s fortune hasn’t changed, England has transformed into a formidable force under the tutelage of head coach Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes’ captaincy.
The dynamic duo has not lost a Test series at home since McCullum took over the managerial duties in 2022. With India missing its batting wizards and considerably short on experience, Karthik believes England’s “vulnerable” bowling attack is the only positive for Gill and his troops.
“I don’t think he has realised the enormity of what it means to be a Test captain of India as of now. He is walking into a lion’s den. Luckily for Shubman Gill, the England bowling attack is very vulnerable. That is the only positive I see. England’s batting will put India under pressure, but the bowling is an area that is still work under progress,” Karthik said on the Sky Sports podcast.
Gill has previously toured England and made three appearances while donning the whites. On every occasion, he bit the bullet with his tantalising performances and mustered up 88 runs at a dreadful average of 14.66.
Karthik wants Gill to focus on his batting and wear his captaincy hat only when India tries to spoil England’s blueprint for executing its famed ‘Bazball’ style of play. With the series opener to be played at Headingley on June 20, Karthik believes the venue could be the ideal place for India’s youngest Test captain to put runs under his belt and earn respect in the dressing room.
“First bit of information I want to give Shubman Gill is to put your captaincy hat on only while fielding. Focus on your batting. It is imperative for Gill to score to have respect in that dressing room. In SENA countries, as an Indian batter, his average is not something he is going to be proud of,” he said.
“He needs to get runs in the first Test so he doesn’t put more pressure on himself in the next Test. That is the first thing I will tell Shubman Gill: Be the best batter you can be. Make sure you get your runs, you are capable of it,” he added.
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.
