Ind vs Eng Test series: Tendulkar tips Shubman Gill ahead of captaincy debut

Team India is all set to lock horns against England under the leadership of newly appointed skipper Shubman Gill. The 25-year-old has been appointed as the captain after Rohit Sharma`s retirement from the format. Rishabh Pant is the new vice-captain of the Indian team.

Following the appointment of a new skipper, legendary Team India batsman, Sachin Tendulkar said, “I think he [Gill] has to be given time. He has to be supported”.

Being a Test captain of a team is not an easy task, and Tendulkar is well aware of the challenges that the Indian skipper faces. Despite several opinions from various quarters, Tendulkar wants Gill to stay focused on the team`s plan.

“I feel there are going to be a lot of opinions that `he should do this and he should do that`. And all those kind of things will come into play. But what he should be focused on is, what is the team`s plan. What was the discussion in the dressing room. And is it going according to that?,” said the veteran of 200 Test matches.

“And all the decisions that are being made, are being made in the interest of the team or not, is what he should be thinking of…not the outside world where someone feels that he is being too attacking or he is being too defensive and all that. Those are opinions and people will give opinions,” he added.

Additionally, Team India will also face a major concern when it comes to the feature of their lead pacer, Jasprit Bumrah. The speedster was advised not to play in consecutive Test matches due to his workload management. Sai Sudharsan will be one of the top players to watch out for during the series. The left-hander has delivered stunning performances in the domestic circuit and the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025.

India’s squad for first Test: Shubman Gill (C), Rishabh Pant (VC & WK), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana.

(With PTI Inputs)

This article first appeared on Mid Day