Indian star batter Shubman Gill suffered a brief and disappointing outing in his return to domestic red-ball cricket. Batting at number four following a sudden mini-collapse, Gill attempted to block a delivery that drifted through the gap between his bat and pad, knocking over his stumps. Playing for Punjab against Chhattisgarh in the Ranji Trophy on Sunday, Gill managed just a single run off five deliveries before being clean-bowled by left-arm spinner Ajay Mandal .
India’s Test and ODI skipper Shubman Gill could only score 1 run from 5 balls before returning to the Punjab dressing room in the Ranji Trophy match against Chattisgarh.
For Gill, taking the field for Punjab offers a direct way to build red-ball match fitness rather than relying purely on practice sessions in the nets, especially ahead of a crucial tour of New Zealand where India will play 2 Tests against the hosts. Gill’s decision to feature in the Ranji Trophy came following a push from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). The board has long iterated its stance of seeing key international players remain sharp during gaps in the national calendar. Playing domestic long-format fixtures provides top-tier batters crucial game time to fine-tune their patience and movement against quality bowling on varied Indian pitches.
