Shubman Gill hands ammo to critics with shameful two-ball duck in Ranji Trophy vs Saurashtra

Indian Test and ODI captain Shubman Gill is out of the NZ T20I series and the ICC T20 World Cup, which follows it. Hence, Gill has been drafted into Punjab’s Ranji Trophy squad.

Shubman Gill has not played for Punjab in the Ranji Trophy for some time and returned to the domestic red-ball tournament with the match against Saurashtra. He was last seen in the ODI series between India and New Zealand, which India eventually lost 2-1.

Shubman Gill fails on Ranji Trophy return

Indian skipper Shubman Gill failed to prove his authority in the red ball format as he returned to feature against Saurashtra at the Niranjan Shah Ground in Rajkot, the very ground where India lost their first ODI to NZ in the series before this.

Gill had a fantastic run in the longest format of the game and finished as the highest scorer in the 2025 calendar year. He would have loved to extend the same streak through the 2026 season as well, but failed to give himself a solid start.

The Punjab skipper was dismissed for a two-ball duck as Punjab were reduced to 73/4 after his dismissal. Parth Bhut got back-to-back wickets, which also included trapping Gill plumb in front of three stumps.