"He has looked to me more of a middle-order batter in red-ball cricket" - Deep Dasgupta on Indian star's batting position in ENG vs IND 2025 Tests

Former India player Deep Dasgupta has opined that Shubman Gill should bat at No. 4 in the upcoming Test series against England. He pointed out that the recently appointed Indian Test captain has always looked like a middle-order batter to him.

The first match of the five-match series between India and England will be played in Leeds from Friday, June 20, onwards. With Virat Kohli retiring from Tests, there is a debate about who would take his place at the No. 4 position.

During a discussion on Star Sports, Dasgupta was asked whether Gill would automatically take Kohli's batting position in the Test series against England.

"From the very beginning, he (Gill) has looked to me more of a middle-order batter in red-ball cricket, although he himself wants to bat at the top of the order. He is slightly reluctant to go down the order. He wants to open only," he responded.

The former India wicketkeeper-batter reckoned that Gill's Test numbers will improve if he bats at No. 4.

"However, if you see technically, I feel middle order is better suited for him. If he bats at No. 4, he will definitely change those numbers, whether it's in England, Australia, at home, or away. Your voice as a captain becomes louder when you perform. So, from a captaincy point of view too, his bat needs to fire," Dasgupta observed.

Shubman Gill has aggregated 1893 runs at an average of 35.05 in 59 Test innings. He has never batted at No. 4, having played 29 innings as an opener and 30 at No. 3.

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"I find Virat and Shubman very similar in nature" - Deep Dasgupta on whether Shubman Gill can replicate Virat Kohli's performances as skipper

Virat Kohli enjoyed great success as a batter while captaining India. [P/C: Getty]

In the same discussion, Deep Dasgupta was asked whether Shubman Gill can replicate Virat Kohli's performances with the bat as captain.

"He has that ability. I can say that because I find Virat and Shubman very similar by nature. The way his career has progressed and whenever we have seen him captaining in the IPL, he has the attitude to dominate, which we have seen in Virat for so many years, due to which Virat is great," he replied.

The cricketer-turned-commentator noted that Gill's hunger for runs and cricketing greatness is similar to Kohli's.

"We see those traits in Shubman as well. When he does captaincy, you actually know who is the captain on the ground. He also has the hunger to score runs and to become a cricketing great. He looks to me a player who wants to leave a legacy. So it seems like there are a lot of similarities," Dasgupta elaborated.

Virat Kohli amassed 9230 runs at an average of 46.85 in 123 Tests. He had a much better record as captain, scoring 5864 runs at an average of 54.80 in 68 Tests.