Reports: Shubman Gill available for Punjab’s game vs Karnataka in Ranji Trophy 2024-25

Calls for players to play domestic cricket have increased after Team India’s Test collapse. The primary cause of the team’s batting shortcomings at home was the Indian batters’ difficulty against spin. They were unable to withstand the bounce and pace when they toured Australia. The criticism for their disregard for domestic cricket has increased dramatically after they lost to Australia by 1-3 and New Zealand by 0-3, respectively.

Shubman Gill, the best batsman for India, is set to make his Ranji Trophy debut in the first round of troubleshooting. The right-handed batter has declared himself available for Punjab’s match against Karnataka on January 23, when the competition resumes, according to Hindustan Times.

Notably, Punjab is now in second place in the tournament’s Group C. They are currently slightly behind Karnataka, who have the same number of victories and games played, having won six of their seven games thus far.

A Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) official told Hindustan Times that Shubman Gill is available for Punjab’s Ranji match against Karnataka on January 23.

The last time Shubman Gill played for Punjab was in 2022.

It is noteworthy that during the past four years, Gill has only appeared in one domestic red-ball match. The 25-year-old last played for Punjab in a quarterfinal match against Madhya Pradesh in Bengaluru during the Ranji Trophy 2022. In 2022, he played his first Test match for India against Australia on Boxing Day. This is his sole appearance in Ranji since his debut.

However, Rohit Sharma chose to attend Mumbai’s practice sessions after withdrawing from the Sydney Test match against Australia due to his poor batting record. The captain of India reportedly informed management of his choice, although it has not yet been confirmed that he will play in the Mumbai Ranji Trophy games.