Ranji Trophy 2024-25: Shubman Gill century in vain as Karnataka reign supreme over Punjab

Ranji Trophy 2024-25: Shubman Gill century in vain as Karnataka reign supreme over Punjab. (Photo Source: Getty Images)

After a disappointing first innings in Punjab’s first innings in their Group C clash against Karnataka at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, Shubman Gill made a stunning comeback in their second essay. He went onto score a dazzling century against the hosts, marking his 14th First-Class ton.

At the time of writing, he had got to the remarkable landmark and got out briefly after, with Punjab reeling on 187/9 in 62 overs. Gill, making his return to the Ranji Trophy after a two-and-a-half-year period, was the lone batter to get set and counter some brilliant bowling by the Karnataka bowling unit. His innings comprised 14 fours and three maximums.

Out of the 14 boundaries he scored, only three were on the on-side. All of Gill’s sixes came on the off-side, which was the part of the ground majorly favoured by the Punjab skipper. None of his other teammates stepped up to the occasion, leaving Punjab on the brink of a massive innings defeat. The top-order other than Gill failed miserably during their side’s second innings; with none of them being able to cross the 20-run knock.

Karnataka win by an innings & 207 runs

Speaking of the Mayank Agarwal-led Karnataka unit, their monumental effort in their first innings is provided them a massive victory of an innings & 207 runs against Punjab. A stunning double-century R Smaran fuelled the hosts to 475 after bundling out the visitors for just 55.

Electing to field first, Karnataka struck havoc on Day 1. The duo of Vasuki Koushik and Abhilash Shetty shared seven scalps between each other. Only two of Punjab’s batters could reach double-digit scores, as they collapsed for the paltry aforementioned total just 29 overs into the day. Ahead of the round six, Karnataka and Punjab were positioned on fourth and fifth place, respectively.

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