Even an ardent Ranji Trophy viewer would have hardly heard of Priyank Panchal until the 2016/17 Ranji season. The right-handed opening batsman emerged as the highest run-getter of the season with five hundreds including a triple ton against Punjab.
He was instrumental in Gujarat’s maiden Ranji title with 1310 runs at an average of 87.33. He fell just 105 runs shy of VVS Laxman’s record of most runs in a season, 1415. No one else had scored more than 1000 runs in the 2016/17 season, making Panchal’s achievement even more special.
What stood out in a stellar season for the 26-year-old Gujarat lad was his temperament and ability to read and play according to the situation. He was adept at handling swing and seam and equally patient against the spinners. His triple ton against Punjab is an apt example in this regard.
Panchal stamped his authority against a quality bowling attack comprising of Manpreet Gony, Sandeep Sharma and Siddharth Kaul. The wicket had a bit of grass as well but his intention to stay long at the crease paid rich dividends. After the initial 50 runs, Panchal was in his groove and started playing his wide range of strokes.
Early career
Things haven’t come that easy to him in his early career as this triple hundred. He was offered a sports scholarship by Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) in 2008 and he came to Mumbai where he was benefitted by Rahane missing a match due to injury. Panchal was from a not so well off family and he was unsure of his future in cricket in his early years. Having lost his father at 15, he needed to earn from cricket.
Panchal’s inspiration came from none other than Rahul Dravid pretty early in his U-17 years.
"I met him during the Under-15s and Under-17s at NCA because he used to train there. At the time, there was only general talk with him, no personal talk as such. I was very shy then, and would get nervous approaching him. But I saw how he practised. He replicated a match situation.
“He stayed there from 9 to 4, scheduled his lunch and snacks as per the match timings. That attracted me a lot. I haven't written this in my diary, but it is in my mind. The picture is crystal clear", Panchal revealed in a chat with ESPNCricinfo in January, 2017.
A personal transformation
Although he started out feebly, his mother took a vital step in his personal life that possibly transformed his views towards life. Being an introvert, Panchal rarely interacted in the dressing room or on the field and his lack of communication stood against his development. Realising this, his mother enrolled him in a personality development program, where he understood it was good to have interests apart from cricket to free up the mind.
He is now a Financial Management post graduate and also finds time to work with the Income Tax department during his time away from the game. He has also embraced reading, a passion he holds close to his heart. “I feel empty if I don't have books by my side”, Panchal had told ESPNCricinfo in an interview during the 2016/17 season.
The change in approach
Despite his mental evolution pretty early, Panchal struggled to score the runs to impress the selectors. His first major break came six seasons after his debut, in 2015/16, when he made 665 runs with three hundreds. But, self-admittedly, he expected more from himself. The big change came in this season, when he almost shattered an 18-year-old record held by Laxman.
What changed with time was his approach and mindset. He spoke to himself about extending his stay at the crease. He wanted to get the big hundreds and wouldn’t be satisfied even with an 80, 90 or a score just past 100.
Panchal tried to relinquish the sense of achievement one feels after getting a hundred.
The ploy worked. Not only did his hundreds get bigger, they also got better. Take for example his 101 against Railways. He adapted to bowling conditions and made a quick fire hundred off just 138 balls. Realising that survival depended on attacking, Panchal batted freely and scored with confidence.
He missed out in the quarter-finals against Odisha when he fell at 81 in the second innings. But he had learned to overcome his disappointments by playing better. Panchal smacked a 149 in the semi-finals against the best team in the season at that point of time, Jharkhand. The knock took Gujarat to a first final in 66 years and a maiden title.
The future
His hard work has already started reaping benefits. Panchal has been called up to the India A side for the first time to play against the visiting Bangladeshis and it might be his golden chance to impress the selectors. India have tried a handful of openers to partner Vijay in the past few months in Tests – KL Rahul, Gautam Gambhir, Parthiv Patel, Shikhar Dhawan and now Abhinav Mukund has been picked.
The selection of Mukund clearly implies that the selectors are open to trying more openers to partner Vijay until they find the right one. The situation is perfect for Panchal to establish himself as the reserve opener at least. Given his change in temperament and attitude, the Gujarat opener is more than likely to make a seamless step up to the national team in the coming months.
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