Brian O'Driscoll believes Sam Warburton will be the preferred choice to lead Lions

Former Ireland captain Brian O'Driscoll believes Sam Warburton will be the preferred choice for head coach Warren Gatland to lead the British and Irish Lions in their 10-game tour of New Zealand in June.

The former Wales skipper captained Lions during their previous tour of Australia in 2013 and in the process became the youngest player to lead the side when he was just 24. Even though, he missed the third Test against Wallabies with a hamstring injury, the Lions went on to claim the series 2-1.

O'Driscoll himself has been part of four Lions tour and captained them during the 2005 tour of New Zealand. Admitting that defeating the back-to-back World Champions at their own backyard will be a daunting task, the 38-year-old is confident that Warburton has all the right attributes to lead the Lions in the upcoming tour.

"All fingers point to Sam Warburton," said to BBC Radio 5 Live.

"Gatland is a big fan, he knows what sort of captain he is. He's going to be the man.

"The experience of doing it once before, and how he is currently playing and the high esteem he is held in, I think they all feature heavily in him being another good selection.

"Seven (openside flanker) is one of the more open positions, and I think Warburton will fit in brilliantly there."

Gatland is expected to announced the squad on 19th April.