Shubman Gill, India ODI and Test captain and Punjab batter, failed to fire on his comeback to action after suffering a toe injury during the India v South Africa T20I series. This was also the first time Gill was playing a competitive match since his exclusion from India’s T20 World Cup 2026 squad.

Punjab faced Goa on January 6, 2026, in an Elite Group C match in Jaipur. Goa was asked to bat first and managed 211, with Suyash Prabhudessai making 66 and Lalit Yadav making 54 runs, while Mayank Markande took three wickets for Punjab.

In response, Shubman Gill opened the innings for Punjab with captain Prabhsimran Singh. The skipper fell for two runs, and while Shubman Gill hit two good boundaries, he was dismissed for 11 runs in 12 balls. He was dismissed by Vasuki Koushik, caught by Suyash Prabhudessai.   

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Though Gill was scheduled to face Sikkim on Saturday, the India Test and ODI captain's return to domestic cricket was postponed owing to sickness.

Gill, who will captain India in a three-match ODI series against New Zealand beginning later this week, is coming off two consecutive injuries. He sustained a neck injury during the first Test against South Africa in November and was ruled out of the upcoming ODIs against the Proteas.

He played three T20Is against South Africa, but managed only 32 runs before a toe injury ruled him out of the series.