Shubman Gill to play for Punjab against Chattisgarh in Ranji Trophy, Uday Saharan to continue as skipper

Punjab's Shubman Gill, left, in action in the Ranji Trophy in January this year. | Photo Credit: VIJAY SONEJI

Uday Saharan will continue as Punjab captain for the Ranji Trophy second round fixture against Chhattisgarh, starting Sunday, despite the addition of India Test captain Shubman Gill, head coach Amit Uniyal confirmed on match eve.

“Uday is getting better day-by-day. Shubman also insisted that since Uday is doing well, he should continue to lead. Shubman is mature and he agreed that it is better to have the continuity. If he was here for a longer run, then there would have been no doubt,” Uniyal said.

Uniyal, a former Punjab cricketer who took over the role from Sandeep Sharma this season, heaped praise on Gill and other seniors in the team, Umesh Yadav and Gurnoor Brar, for setting the right example.

“Their presence gives confidence to our team. It motivates us. Umesh and Gurnoor are putting in so much effort. The young guys see that the Indian captain is here to play despite such a short turnaround period. My senior players are showing me commitment. Prabhsimran Singh is back and putting in work. The atmosphere is such that everyone is learning from each other,” he said.

Punjab secured three points in its campaign opener against Assam but is expected to face a sterner challenge from Chhattisgarh, and the others in Group C, which includes Karnataka and Saurashtra.

In recent seasons, Punjab has often been caught up in the reputation of its T20 players, many of whom are regulars in the Indian Premier League. It last made the knockouts in 2022-23 where it suffered an exit in the quarterfinals.

It has also partly suffered because of its top talent being called up for international duty.

But Uniyal insists that his team’s rejuvenated spirit makes it a threat this year, which was embodied by Punjab’s late push to snatch an outright win against Assam in the last session on the final day.

“It hurts; I don’t like when people say that Punjab’s red-ball team is not good. This time, whichever team comes, we will be ready for them. We are not talking about winning or losing. We are just going to play good cricket. You will see the Punjab team fighting for the result and enjoying.

“You have to adjust. Tentatively, we already have an Indian team schedule. I was hoping Abhishek [Sharma] and Arshdeep [Singh] could play a few games for us. But we have a back-up plan. Even if something changes overnight, we will be ready in the morning.