Report | Gill set to make Ranji Trophy return for Punjab against Karnataka

‌Shubman Gill is likely to feature in a Punjab jersey again come January 23 when the side takes on Karnataka in its penultimate Ranji Trophy group stage encounter. The 25-year-old last featured for his domestic side in the winter of 2022 during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, while his last red-ball appearance came earlier in the year in the Ranji Trophy quarter-final against Madhya Pradesh where he failed to contribute much as his team went down convincingly.

Gill managed just 93 runs in five innings in the recently concluded Test tour Down Under at an average of 18.60, following which head coach Gautam Gambhir had implored the incumbents to return to the domestic circuit to regain their forms. The performance in Australia was only a further extension of the youngster's poor record outside Asia where he averages 27.54, as compared to 42 in the subcontinent. Having been a mainstay in the side for over two years, Gill's position at number three now seems to be under threat given the Men in Blue's next Test assignment is a tough five-match series in England where the swinging ball has troubled the batter in the past.

Nevertheless, Punjab would be pleased at the availabiliy of their star talent as the team find themselves on the brink of elimination with just a solitary win in five games. Their remaining two encounters against fourth placed Karnataka and third palced Bengal respectively, the three temas separated by just two points in the table. It remains to be seen whether Gill takes over the opening slot in the absence of Abhishek Sharma, who has been picked for the T20I series against England, or operates at number three despite having never batted there before in the Ranji Trophy.