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India’s Test and ODI captain, Shubman Gill, had a tough outing in the Ranji Trophy 2025-2026 match between Punjab and Saurashtra in Rajkot. After being recently dropped from the national T20I squad, Gill struggled to find his groove against a disciplined spin attack, failing to deliver the kind of performance that fans and critics alike expected from a player of his talent. 

His difficulties were evident in both innings, as he fell prey to the sweep shot each time. After a disappointing two-ball duck in the first innings, he could only muster 14 runs off 32 balls in the second. Left-arm spinner Parth Bhut turned out to be Gill’s nemesis, successfully trapping him lbw on both occasions. 

This performance adds to a frustrating stretch for the Indian captain, who was hoping to bounce back after a lackluster ODI series against New Zealand. Instead of gaining momentum for the upcoming international matches, Gill’s double failure against Saurashtra raises more questions about his current strategy for handling spin in the domestic red-ball format. 

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In terms of the match itself, Saurashtra delivered a commanding performance, clinching a decisive 194-run victory over Punjab on a pitch that heavily favored bowlers. Faced with a daunting target of 320 on a deteriorating surface, the Punjab batting lineup faltered, ultimately being bowled out for a mere 125 runs in their second innings.

The match was marked by extreme spin dominance, with a staggering 40 wickets falling in just two days of play 23 on the first day and 17 on the second. 

Parth Bhut was undoubtedly the star of the match, following up his five-wicket haul in the first innings with an even more impressive 5/8 in Punjab’s second innings. He received solid support from Dharmendra Jadeja, who took 5/55 as Punjab struggled against the spin duo, with Uday Saharan’s 31 being the top score.

Earlier, Saurashtra’s lower order came to the rescue after they found themselves at 75/5, with Prerak Mankad scoring 56 and Ravindra Jadeja adding 46 to push the innings forward. Contributions from Hetvik Kotak, along with an impressive unbeaten 37 from Bhut, set a solid target. Saurashtra now sits at 18 points, while Punjab has 11.