India are set to take on England in the first Test of the five-match series, starting Friday at Headingley, Leeds. Ahead of the much-anticipated series in England, legendary Indian batter Sachin Tendulkar said the Shubman Gill-led Indian side will beat England 3-1 and win the series for the first time 18 years.

“I have settled for 3-1 to India,” said Tendulkar while making a prediction for ESPN Cricinfo. Tendulkar was part of the 2007 Indian team that won the Test series in England under the leadership of Rahul Dravid. And that was the last time India won a series in England.

Tendulkar also offered his advice to Gill, the 25-year-old who has been appointed India Test captain after playing 32 matches. Tendulkar firmly believes that Gill will do “something special” on the tour.

“My advice to him (Gill) would be that he should not worry about what x, y, and z are saying. His captaincy - whether Shubman is being aggressive or defensive or attacking enough or not a proactive captain or an 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 is the decision being made in the interests of the team—that is what he needs to think about and not about the outside world.”

Asked about his opinion on Gill batting at No. 4, Tendulkar said, “Playing for India itself is a responsibility, 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 are 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 scored 1575 runs at an average of 54.31 in England, also shared the mantra for succeeding in English conditions, known as the trickiest conditions to bat on in the world.

"One needs to recognise three elements: the weather, overhead condition and the pitch conditions. Is it a sunny day? Is it windy? Is it a green top? Is the ball stopping and coming or is it coming on to the bat? Then you decide how to bat.

In England, focus a lot on front-foot defense against fast bowlers because the tendency is to get your hands away from the body on pitches where there is not much action off the surface. But in England, if your hands start going away from the body, especially with a vertical bat – horizontal bat shots you still can – the bowler is winning that battle.

The front foot defense becomes critical in the initial part of the innings, but don’t go out with a defensive mindset. You could defend positively, so run-scoring opportunities should not be missed and when you go in with a defensive mindset, it reflects on your footwork."

India's next four Tests will take place at Edgbaston, Lord’s, Old Trafford, and The Oval.

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