Priyank Panchal - A Ranji veteran finally gets his due

Priyank Panchal’s call-up to the Indian team was long due. 100 First-Class appearances, 7011 runs, and 24 centuries later, he has finally got his time under the sun. He will be making his way to South Africa as part of India's Test squad.

He has been called up due to Rohit Sharma’s untimely injury and unavailability for the tour. Panchal may not be an automatic starter, as Mayank Agarwal is most likely to pair up with KL Rahul come the Boxing Day Test in Centurion. But if he gets into the starting XI, he is more than prepared to face the music – having lead the India A side in the recently concluded unofficial Test series vs South Africa A.

Priyank Panchal’s rise up the ranks

Panchal has taken the long route to finally being selected for the India Test squad. He started with the Under-15 Gujarat team in the Polly Umrigar Trophy, followed by a season for the Under-17 side.

His first senior appearance for Gujarat came in the 2007-08 Vijay Hazare Trophy vs Maharashtra. Gujarat chased 327 to win, and Priyank Panchal (then 18-year-old) scored a chanceless 123 from 115 balls in what was ultimately a losing cause.

First-class debut

Priyank Panchal was the leading run-scorer for Gujarat in his first first-class season in 2008 (294 runs in four matches). He scored a century and two fifties. Though he had a run of steady seasons, he only rose to prominence in 2016.

Priyank Panchal scored 314 in a 2016-17 Ranji match against Punjab, becoming the first batsman from Gujarat to score a triple century. He hit a purple patch that season, scoring 1310 runs in 10 matches – the only batsman with 1000+ runs that season. In addition to his triple hundred, he scored four more centuries, including a 232 vs Mumbai.

Gujarat lifted the Ranji Trophy for the first time that season, and Priyank Panchal was a name that started grabbing a lot of attention in Indian circles.

Getting close to an India cap

His first clos e shave with the Indian team came when he earned a call-up to the India Green squad for the 2018-19 Duleep Trophy. The following year, he was named the captain of the India Red squad. Though he didn’t make much of an impact in the Duleep Trophy, his consistent Ranji performances paved his way to being named as one of the five standby players for England’s tour of India in early 2021.

Captain of India-A squad & a national call-up

India A toured South Africa A for two unofficial Tests in November. Priyank Panchal led the Indian team across two of the three drawn Tests. He scored a fantastic 96 in the first Test, studded with 14 boundaries – an innings that would have done his confidence a lot of good.

It wasn’t necessarily the 96 that would have pushed his case for the national call-up. It was his obstinate 24 in the first innings of the 2nd Test – where he played with an injured finger that caught the attention of the selectors.

His experience in South African conditions will hold him in good stead if he gets to make his debut in the 3-Test series.

What does the future hold for Priyank Panchal?

India’s opening batter options are quite rich for the time being. Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul look set to be first-choice openers for the next 2-3 years at least. Mayank Agarwal and Shubman Gill are the backup options, along with Prithvi Shaw. And then there’s Priyank Panchal.

A Ranji veteran, an Assured Batsman - Priyank Panchal deserves an Indian debut

At 31 years of age, he isn’t exactly a youngster. He is a veteran of the Ranji Trophy for Gujarat and has the runs, the aptitude, and the perseverance to play a role in and around the Indian Test team for the next few years.

Mike Hussey made his Test debut for Australia when he was 30. And for the next eight years, was a mainstay of the Australian middle order, playing 79 Tests. While it’s hard to see Priyank Panchal getting the same number of games for India, we look forward to him getting a few games for the national team soon.

If his career trajectory shapes up to be anything remotely like that of Mike Hussey, he would have done an exceptional job for himself and the team.