Tendulkar confident Gill will do 'something special', predicts 3-1 series win for India

Sachin Tendulkar wants new India Test captain Shubman Gill to "shut the doors" to the external noise surrounding his approach to captaincy during the England tour. Tendulkar believes Gill will do "something special" on the tour and India will win the five-Test series 3-1.

"My advice to him [Gill] would be that he should not worry about what x, y, z is saying," Tendulkar told ESPNcricinfo. "His captaincy, whether Shubman is being aggressive, or defensive, or attacking enough, or not a proactive captain, or active captain - whatever that opinion is, it's only an opinion and it's from outside. I think what he needs to think about is what was discussed in the dressing room - when they are planning something, are they going according to that plan and whether the decision being made is in the interests of the team - that is what he needs to think about and not about the outside world.

"The outside world can only give opinions. These guys can go out and play as well, and only the dressing room will have that honour. No one else will have that. I would say, just go out, it's a huge honour, enjoy the moment and give your best for the country and do what is in the interest of the country. Other than that, I would say shut the doors to everything. I think that should be his thought process."

Gill, 25, having taken over the captaincy from Rohit Sharma last month, will not only be leading a young India side following the retirements of senior batters Rohit and Virat Kohli, but will also be batting at No. 4 - a spot occupied by Tendulkar and Kohli for the last 30 years. Tendulkar, who batted in that position 275 times from 1992 till his retirement in 2013 and scored 13,492 runs, said Gill has earned that spot because "people have faith in him".

"Playing for India itself is a responsibility," Tendulkar said. "And it could be batting at any number, even if you go out to bat at 6 or 7, those runs are invaluable. No. 11 is also fulfilling the responsibility in a different capacity. It is good that people believe that he is capable of fulfilling that [No. 4] responsibility. The expectations that people have of him is a positive sign, because people have faith in him. He has to just go out and be himself, be determined and put his best foot forward with all his commitment. I'm sure he'll do something special."

Tendulkar, who averaged 54.31 with four centuries in England, also had some advice for the young Indian batters on tour, mainly on how they should play England's fast bowlers.

"There are three things which one needs to respect: overhead conditions, the wind, and the pitch," he said. "I feel something that all batters should think about and consider is a good, solid front-foot defence to a fast bowler. If you can defend well on the front foot to a fast bowler, then the rest of the things will fall into place. It is important to keep your hands close to your body, have a solid front-foot defence. The balls which are meant to be hit are, anyway, going to go ahead because they all are attacking players. But the balls which are not meant to be hit, that is when the hands will go away from the body, and a dismissal could cost the game. So a good, solid defence on the front foot is going to be a key factor."

Among the senior batters in the India side will be 27-year-old Rishabh Pant, whose audacious approach during India's tour of Australia late last year came under scrutiny. Tendulkar wants Pant to find a balance between playing his natural game and playing to the match situation.

"He [Pant] should back his instincts most of the time," Tendulkar said. "But there'll be situations where he'll have to curb his game in the interests of the team. I know that whatever he does the rest of the time will also be in the interest of the team, but the approach might have to be different. He has to have that flexibility in his mind. If there are times when you're looking to save the game, then he may have to adapt that defensive approach, for let's say an hour or 45 minutes or sometimes two hours, where he'll have to just take those risky shots out of the game and not be as aggressive. He could be positive, but the shot selection will come into play.

"Otherwise, nine out of ten times, if I'm the captain, I'll say, 'Just go out and play your game, why worry about anything.' If you're looking to save the game, that is when the approach changes a bit, but otherwise I would tell him that you go out and be yourself and do what you feel is in the best interest of the team."

Tendulkar was part of the Indian side that last won a Test series in England. In 2007, India beat the hosts 1-0 after winning the second Test in Nottingham - where Tendulkar top-scored with 91 in the first innings - and drawing the other two. While Tendulkar backed the current Indian team to take on the England challenge, he is keenly awaiting the battle between India's pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah and England's senior batter Joe Root.

"Winning the series was a fabulous, fabulous moment - that is what we strive for," he said, looking back at the 2007 series. "There were multiple good performances by individuals… Zaheer [Khan] played a role. I think everyone coming together and then chipping in at the right time makes a big difference. I still remember we were in the dressing room, celebrating at The Oval, the last Test. These kinds of moments stay with you forever. We're still talking about it 18 years down the line. I hope we're able to do something this series too, so 20 years down the line we can still talk about it."

When asked about his prediction for the series scoreline, Tendulkar said: "I have settled for 3-1 to India."