NEW DELHI: Shubman Gill's much-anticipated return to the Ranji Trophy ended in disappointment as he was dismissed for a two-ball duck on a tricky, turn-heavy Rajkot pitch during the opening day of the Elite Group B clash between Saurashtra and Punjab on Thursday.

Gill was trapped lbw by left-arm spinner Parth Bhut, who wreaked havoc on Punjab's batting line-up, finishing with impressive figures of 5/33.

Other Punjab batters struggled equally against the sharp spinners, with veteran Ravindra Jadeja (2/48) and experienced Dharmendrasinh Jadeja (2/36) joining Bhut to bundle out the visitors for 139. The innings left Punjab trailing by 33 runs after Saurashtra were dismissed for 172.

For the hosts, left-arm spinners Harpreet Brar (6/38) and Prerit Dutta (1/32), along with off-spinner Jass Inder (2/71), ensured that Punjab's batting woes were matched in reverse, dominating the Saurashtra line-up when they came out to bat.

Gill, in particular, would have been frustrated at missing a chance to break his recent patch of modest scores, having managed just two fifties in his last 10 innings across Tests, ODIs, T20Is, and List A matches. Even Jadeja had a rare off day with the bat, falling cheaply for 7 off six balls to Inder.

Jay Gohil was the only batter on the day who showed some gumption to stand up to the spinners, making 82 off 117 balls (9x4, 3x6). He played a rather aggressive knock, realising the folly of trying to defend and survive against slow bowlers on this pitch.

Saurashtra again fumbled in their second innings, losing three wickets for just 24 runs in six overs at stumps. The home side now leads by 57 runs and it would not be a big surprise if the match ends on Day 2 itself, considering the nature of the track.

Saurashtra are currently fourth on the table with 13 points from five matches while Punjab are on sixth with 11 points from five matches.

(With PTI Inputs)