If Shubman Gill shows white-ball form at No.4, the world is his oyster: Dinesh Karthik
Former India wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik said Shubman Gill will be well served if he is able to replicate his white-ball form in Test cricket. Gill will take up a new role in the batting order as he will be India's new No.4 following the retirement of Virat Kohli in Test cricket. The India captain's new role was revealed by Rishabh Pant during the press conference on Wednesday, June 18.advertisementThis will be the third new batting spot for Gill since the start of his Test career, after beginning as an opener and playing at No.3 in the past few years. Speaking in a video on his official Instagram account, Karthik said that Gill would know about the expectations on him and the new India captain will be eager to win over the dressing room."Shubman Gill, who is going to take over the mantle from the King. That's a big one, but he knows. He wants to win that dressing room. If he gets going with the bat and shows the form he has shown in white-ball cricket, the world is his oyster," said Karthik.
The pressure is certainly on India's new Test skipper. Considering the lack of runs from the batters in the last few series, Gill will certainly be expected to shoulder that responsibility while also ensuring his captaincy when on the field is on the mark.advertisementGill has scored 1893 runs in 32 Tests, scoring six hundreds. The Punjab Kings captain, however, has struggled in overseas conditions, especially in SENA (South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia), averaging. Gill averages 25.70 in 11 Tests. Gill has scored only two fifties, both of them coming in Australia. The young captain has managed just 88 runs in three Tests at an average of 14.66.In contrast, Gill has 2775 runs in one-day internationals at an average of 59.04. He has hit eight hundreds, including a double hundred in his nascent career.Vice-captain Rishabh Pant confirmed Gill will bat at No. 4, a position that was long occupied by Virat Kohli who retired in May.Karthik named his playing XI for the first Test and started off with KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal at the top of the order. The former wicketkeeper-batter felt that Jaiswal was ready for the challenge and said that Sai Sudharsan, who impressed in IPL 2025, will be at No.3.Karthik also feels that Shardul Thakur will get the nod over Nitish Kumar Reddy for the match at Headingley. The experienced all-rounder had an impressive show in the recent four-day intra-squad practice game where he scored 122 and was also amongst the wickets.advertisement"Jaiswal looks like a man who is ready for a challenge like this. At No.3, Sai Sudharsan, I feel he has done outstandingly well in white-ball cricket, IPL, and in the limited opportunities he has got for India as well. Can he convert that form into red-ball cricket as well?""At No.8, I think Shardul Thakur is going to be the man. He is a bowling all-rounder, but his batting is going to be useful. We all know how lower-order runs are extremely important," said Karthik.England.Shardul Thakur.He surely knows a thing or two! #TeamIndia | #ENGvIND | @imShard pic.twitter.com/NAY9HCv7rh— BCCI (@BCCI) June 17, 2025Dinesh Karthik's predicted top 8 for India in Headingley TestYashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant, Karun Nair, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul ThakurMust Watch
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