Shubman Gill dismissed for two-ball duck on Ranji return, Ravindra Jadeja flops with bat

India’s Test captain Shubman Gill endured a frustrating return to Ranji Trophy action on Tuesday as he was dismissed for a two-ball duck in Punjab’s clash against Saurashtra, continuing a streak of underwhelming performances with the bat. 

The much-anticipated domestic showdown featuring two of India’s marquee names failed to match the expectations. It was a disappointing day with the bat for both teams, as 23 wickets tumbled on Day 1. 

The most notable failure was India’s Test captain Gill, who came in at No. 3 for Punjab, falling without scoring and putting his team on the back foot at 73/4, before the collapse gathered pace. He was trapped in front of the wickets on the second ball of his short stay. 

Expectations were high around Gill’s return, especially given his leadership role and recent white-ball heroics. Meanwhile, Ravindra Jadeja’s batting woes continued, with the veteran all-rounder managing only seven runs in his brief stay at the crease, leaving fans and pundits disappointed. 

After scoring 172 runs in the first innings, Punjab’s top order was blown away as Saurashtra’s bowlers applied relentless pressure. The Punjab side got all out on 139, with Jadeja claiming two wickets. The onus will be on Gill to lead his team with the bat in the second innings. 

Manoj Tiwari calls for Gill’s removal as ODI captain

Former India and Bengal batter Manoj Tiwari has made a bold claim, stating that the BCCI should reappoint Rohit Sharma as India’s ODI captain. He was replaced by Gill as captain on October 4, 2025, and has lost both the ODI series he has captained.

“What was the need to remove Rohit Sharma from the captaincy? I’m pretty sure that if Rohit were leading even today in the ODIs, it would have been a different result (New Zealand series) altogether. Because when he won the Champions Trophy, I think the team was going forward in the right direction,” said Tiwari. 

The Men in Blue lost the three-match ODI series against Australia Down Under, and recently lost a home series against New Zealand in the 50-over format.