India Test captain Shubman Gill had a disappointing return to Ranji Trophy as he was dismissed for only one run while batting for Punjab against Chhattisgarh.
Gill, who is set to lead India in the two-match Test series in New Zealand next month, decided to feature in Punjab’s second round of Ranji Trophy fixture, which began on Sunday in New Chandigarh.
Gill had had an ordinary series against Sri Lanka in August, wherein he managed 74 runs across three innings and was troubled by the left-arm spin of Prabath Jayasuriya.
It seems that those issues have not been churned out of Gill’s batting as he was bowled through the gate by Chhattisgarh’s left-arm spinner Ajay Mandal, who is making a name for himself in the domestic Indian circuit. This prized scalp of the Indian Test and ODI captain will polish his credentials.
WATCH: Shubman Gill Gets Bowled Through His Defence On Ranji Trophy Return For 1 Run By Spinner Ajay Mandal
Gill was outdone by the smarts and skills of Mandal, a 30-year-old left-arm spinner from Durg, Madhya Pradesh, who plies his trade in domestic cricket for Chhattisgarh and who has also been part of the squads of Delhi Capitals and Chennai Super Kings but hasn’t made his IPL debut yet.
New to the crease, Gill was castled through his defence on the 5th ball he faced in his innings. Gill lunged ahead with a forward defence to a length delivery that pitched on the off-stump.
Gill accounted for the ball to turn away from him slightly, leaving a bat-pad gap. However, this was an armball from Mandal, something that Gill failed to read, and it kept coming into the right-handed batsman after pitching. The accuracy of the delivery meant it went through the little bat-pad gap and crashed into the middle stump.
Gill removed his bottom hand from the bat handle, still in a defensive position, astonished at the terrific delivery that had just cleaned him up. Mandal, on the other hand, wheeled away in celebration, soon to be mobbed by his teammates, as he’s dismissed the Indian Test skipper.
Watch the video here:
With an eye on the New Zealand Test series, Gill made himself available for the Punjab vs Chhattisgarh Ranji Trophy match in order to get some red-ball multi-day cricket practice before leaving for the ODI series, which commences on November 4. But the right-hander fluffed his opportunity in Punjab’s first innings, making a solitary run.
Gill will, however, not feature in any of the three India A vs New Zealand A matches, where Dhruv Jurel will lead the squad that also includes Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Devdutt Padikkal, Rishabh Pant (subject to fitness), Washington Sundar, Akash Deep, Anshul Kamboj, and Sai Sudarsan.
Gill, meanwhile, will captain India in the ODI series but will feature in the first three ODIs. Given the proximity of the 5th ODI and the 1st Test, Gill and some of the other Test players will not be part of the last two India vs New Zealand ODIs, and instead will prepare for the Test series.
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