Gujarat’s batting mainstay Priyank Panchal displayed his maturity on the biggest stage with a crucial century in response to Kerala’s intimidating first-innings score in the Ranji Trophy semifinal.
The 34-year-old explained how he was due a big knock after a rather lean season in the domestic tournament in comparison to the lofty standards he had set previously.
“I was looking forward to this semifinal because as a team we have been playing comfortably since the season started. I got out in the quarterfinal, and other players stepped up, but now it was my chance, so I’m feeling good,” Panchal said.
“I understand the importance of knockout games and as an experienced player, I must contribute,” he added.
Over the first three days, the Kerala batters took 187 overs to post 457 on the board, but Gujarat’s response has been much more rapid.
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“I think they [Kerala] played good cricket. I don’t know how many times they’ve played on this ground, so they batted well,” Panchal said about his opponent’s game plan.
“They were trying to play as many overs as they could, but now what we understood is that you just have to score runs also. If you spend some time on the wicket, you will get runs,” he opined.
Panchal was involved in a solid 131-run opening partnership with Aarya Desai which laid the perfect platform for the home team to build on. He had words of appreciation for his young partner after an enterprising 73-run knock.
“He [Aarya] always looks to score runs. I think the character he showed was important and the team management would have loved to see that approach,” he remarked.
“In some moments he was trying too hard, so as an experienced batter, I was asking him to take 2-3 balls and come back to second gear,” he added.
Panchal mentioned that despite the pitch deteriorating over the three days of play, there was turn only from the rough that had formed due to the pacer’s foot marks
Gujarat Batsman Priyank Panchal acknowledge the crowd after scoring a century on the third day of the Ranji Trophy Semifinal Match against Kerala in Ahmedabad on February 19, 2025.
| Photo Credit:
MOORTHY RV/ The Hindu
Gujarat Batsman Priyank Panchal acknowledge the crowd after scoring a century on the third day of the Ranji Trophy Semifinal Match against Kerala in Ahmedabad on February 19, 2025.
| Photo Credit:
MOORTHY RV/ The Hindu
“What I understand about this wicket is that the ball turns when the rough is there, not from the wicket. When I understood that the ball was turning, instead of playing against the spin, I was trying to play with the spin,” he explained.
After a national call-up in 2021, Panchal has dropped off from the radar of the national selectors. The batter says his failure to convert scores to big hundreds could be the reason for his non-selection.
“I was getting out a lot in the 90s and the 80s. Earlier, I was able to score big hundreds. As a batter, if you want to knock on the door of the Indian team, you have to score hundreds,” he said.
With the home team still 235 runs behind, Panchal will be hoping to convert the ton into a double and help the side gain a first-innings advantage.