ENG vs IND: ‘Shubman Gill is walking into lions den’ — Dinesh Karthik issues warning before India v England series

Former India wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik has issued a stern warning to Shubman Gill about the pressure of captaincy, before India takes on England in their first Test on June 20.

“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.

India will play five Tests in England, with Gill playing his first series as skipper. The 25-year-old took on red-ball captaincy after Rohit Sharma retired.

“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.

India has not won an away series against England in the last 17 years, with the last coming under skipper Rahul Dravid — 1-0 win — in 2007. Karthik played an important role in that match, scoring 99 runs over two innings.

India’s last outing to England ended in a 2-2 draw.

“Luckily, luckily for Shubman Gill, I think the England bowling attack is very vulnerable. That is the only positive I see,” Karthik said.

“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.

England comes into the match after a convincing victory over Zimbabwe in a one-off match, where the Three Lions won by an innings and 45 runs a the Trent Bridge Cricket Ground in Nottingham.