The world is Shubman Gill's oyster if he displays white-ball form at number four: Karthik Dinesh

Former India wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik has shared his thoughts on India's new Test batting line-up, focusing on Shubman Gill, who is set to take on the pivotal No. 4 position, a spot long held by Virat Kohli before his retirement from Test cricket in May 2025.

In a video posted to his Instagram, Karthik acknowledged the weight of expectations on Gill, calling him the one "taking over the mantle from the King." He believes Gill is fully aware of the challenge ahead and is motivated to cement his place by replicating his stellar white-ball form in the longer format.

Gill's Test career so far has seen mixed returns:

• 32 Tests, 1893 runs, 6 hundreds

• Overseas struggles, especially in SENA countries (South Africa, England, New Zealand, Australia)

  • Avg: 25.70 in 11 Tests, just 2 fifties, both in Australia

  • Recent form: Only 88 runs in last 3 overseas Tests at 14.66 avg

• In contrast, in ODIs, he has amassed 2775 runs at an average of 59.04, including 8 centuries (one a double hundred).

Gill’s elevation to No. 4 was confirmed by vice-captain Rishabh Pant during a press conference on June 18, as India prepares for the first Test against England at Headingley.

Dinesh Karthik’s predicted India XI for the 1st Test:

1. Yashasvi Jaiswal

2. KL Rahul

3. Sai Sudharsan – Karthik believes Sudharsan deserves a shot after his IPL 2025 success and steady white-ball form.

4. Shubman Gill (captain)

5. Rishabh Pant (vc, wk)

6. Karun Nair

7. Ravindra Jadeja

8. Shardul Thakur – Chosen over Nitish Reddy due to strong all-round performance in the recent intra-squad match (122 runs and wickets).

Karthik praised Jaiswal’s maturity, calling him “ready for a challenge,” and described Thakur’s batting as vital for “lower-order contributions that often make a big difference in overseas Tests.”

The match at Headingley marks the beginning of a new chapter for the Indian Test side—with a younger core stepping into roles vacated by legends. All eyes will be on Gill to see if he can lead by example from the pivotal No. 4 position and reverse his overseas red-ball fortunes.