India captain Shubman Gill and senior all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja are reportedly likely to travel to Rajkot immediately after the 1-2 ODI series defeat against New Zealand to participate in the 2025-26 Ranji Trophy. According to Cricbuzz, barring a last-minute change in plans, the duo could be pitted against each other as Jadeja’s Saurashtra takes on Gill’s Punjab on January 22 at the Niranjan Shah Stadium.
Gill has not featured in a Ranji Trophy match this season, with his last appearance coming against Karnataka in the previous campaign. Jadeja, meanwhile, has played just one domestic game, turning out for his side against Madhya Pradesh.
Their teams could do with an experienced name in the ranks. Both Saurashtra and Punjab have won just one
match each in their last five and are placed fourth and sixth, respectively, in the Group B points table.
Both teams still have one league fixture left after this match, and with no immediate international commitments — neither is part of India’s 2026 T20 World Cup squad, which is next on the schedule — Gill and Jadeja might be available for the final game, too.
Gill defends Jadeja’s form
Having already retired from T20Is, Jadeja might have played his last ODI series, too. He managed just 43 runs across three innings at an average of 14.33, while failing to take a single wicket.
With the likes of Axar Patel waiting in the wings and several excellent all-rounders putting their names in the ring via the Vijay Hazare Trophy, the pressure is rising on the selectors to move from the 37-year-old veteran.
However, Gill, when asked about Jadeja’s form, refused to pile on.
“Firstly, I think about Jaddu bhai, I don’t know how many matches he has played over the past couple of years, but in terms of his batting, he was looking in good touch,” Gill said in the post-series press conference. “That said, I think all of us batters, especially, were not able to convert the starts we got. Whenever you play in India, you usually see high-scoring matches, and if batters get starts but don’t convert them, at least two of them, it always becomes difficult,” he added.
