Vijay Hazare Trophy: Fans troll Shubman Gill after failure vs Goa, call him 'flat track bully'

India’s ODI captain Shubman Gill endured a disappointing outing on his return to domestic cricket, as his brief stay at the crease against Goa in the Vijay Hazare Trophy triggered sharp reactions from fans on social media.

Gill managed only 11 runs in the match, leading to widespread trolling online. A section of supporters branded him a “flat-track bully,” while others questioned his current form, claiming his decline has been so drastic that even relatively modest bowling attacks are troubling him.

The Punjab opener has been going through a prolonged lean phase. Throughout 2025, Gill struggled to find consistency across formats, a slump that ultimately resulted in his omission from India’s T20 World Cup 2026 squad announced in December. His recent ODI record has also been underwhelming, with no half-century in his last seven matches, while his T20I returns last year included just one fifty.

Also Read: Former Australia great stunned by Shubman Gill's T20 World Cup snub

The fixture against Goa marked Gill’s first List A appearance since suffering a freak neck injury during the opening Test against South Africa at Eden Gardens. That injury had forced him to miss both the Test and ODI series that followed.

After Punjab dismissed Goa for 211, Gill walked in as the second batter in the chase. He struck two boundaries but was removed in the fifth over by pacer Vasuki Koushik, cutting short his innings. Despite his early dismissal, Punjab remained in control and chased down the target comfortably in 35 overs with six wickets to spare.

Harnoor Singh anchored the run chase with an unbeaten 94 off 90 deliveries, while Naman Dhir contributed a fluent 68 from 65 balls to seal an easy victory for Punjab.