According to reports, Shubman Gill is set to join the Punjab squad for their upcoming clash against Karnataka in the Ranji Trophy 2024-25. The game will take place from January 23 at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
The move comes after Gill has suffered horrendous form in the red-ball format. He had a mediocre home test series against New Zealand, where he scored 144 runs in four innings, with a top score of 90. The right-hander could not arrest his slide in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia, which saw him return with only 93 runs in five innings.
Shubman Gill will likely make his comeback in the Ranji Trophy after two years. He last played for Punjab in the red-ball format in the 2022 quarter-final game against Madhya Pradesh in Alur. He registered scores of 9 & 19, as MP managed to win the game by 10 wickets and eventually their maiden Ranji title.
The likes of Shubman, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant are expected to play in the next round of the Ranji Trophy after the recent comments by head coach Gautam Gambhir.
Since the BGT debacle, Gambhir and the BCCI have given a subtle hint to the players regarding the cheat code to make their case strong for the Indian team. They want players to commit to domestic cricket, whenever there is a break between international games.
Although, Shubman Gill’s place in the Punjab’s squad hasn’t been confirmed, all signs point to his participation in the game. Punjab has to win their remaining two games of the league stage to stake their claim for the quarter-final rounds, as they have secured only a solitary victory in five appearances.
Shubman Gill is an overrated cricketer: Kris Srikkanth
Former Indian batter Kris Srikkanth slammed Shubman Gill for his disappointing performances in the BGT 2024-25. He termed Gill as an over-rated cricketer, and wants the selectors to provide call-ups to Ruturaj Gaikwad and Sai Sudharsan.
“I’ve always maintained that Shubman Gill is an overrated cricketer, but nobody listened to me. He is a highly overrated cricketer,” Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel.
“Ruturaj Gaikwad, for instance, has been performing brilliantly in first-class cricket, but he hasn’t been picked. Similarly, Sai Sudharsan has been outstanding on ‘A’ tours. These are the players who should be promoted. Instead, the selectors are stuck in a loop with Gill,” Srikkanth added.
Furthermore, Srikkanth also lauded Suryakumar Yadav’s technique and thinks he could also be a good fit for the Indian Test team.
