After registering a duck in the first innings of the Ranji Trophy clash against Saurashtra, India captain Shubman Gill promoted himself up in the order to number four. He expected to return back to his best form at the Niranjan Shah Stadium but the 26-year-old once again failed to live up to the expectations. Parth Bhut once again got the better of him in the match, as Gill departed for 14 runs off 32 balls.
In the first innings, Gill was trapped LBW by Parth and the same repeated in the second innings. It was a similar-looking dismissal and that might be slightly concerning. The slow left-arm orthodox has troubled Gill throughout the day, before getting the better of him in the 21st over of the fourth innings.
Gill, who was recently dropped from the T20 World Cup squad, had the perfect opportunity to prove his mettle and show his hunger to score runs. However, he failed to find any momentum and that is one area that the cricketer needs to address.
Nothing worked for Punjab vs Saurashtra
Punjab batters failed to establish their authority against Saurashtra. Batting first, the hosts posted 172 runs on the board and in reply, Punjab scored 139. The second innings was crucial for both teams, and Saurashtra showed more determination to capitalise on it. Ravindra Jadeja made 46 runs, Prerak Mankad made 56 and an impactful contribution from HS Kotak and Parth helped Saurashtra post 286 runs on the board.
With plenty of time still left, Punjab could have taken things slow. Maybe the idea was the same, but they failed to execute it. Saurashtra bowlers maintained their line and length and that troubled Punjab in the middle. Parth was once again the star with the bowl, already claiming five wickets as Punjab were reduced to 91/8 in the middle. They need a miracle now to win the game from this position.