Priyank Panchal has scored four centuries this season. (Source: PTI File)
Gujarat Opener Priyank Panchal began the domestic season with yet another hundred in the Duleep Trophy. With another hundred in his kitty, Panchal now seems to have secured his berth for the India A series against New Zealand.
Speaking to Hindustan Times, Sachin said, “I wanted to stay long in the middle as I was hungry for runs. “I missed the tour of South Africa for India A due to dengue and was taking rest before coming here to play the domestic season opener.”
“I could have scored more runs as after some initial hiccups the red clay pitch was perfect for my batting. I don’t know where my performance would take me to, but for now, I am trying to score as much as runs I could do for my team.”
“I am feeling fresh now and enjoying my cricket. Undoubtedly, the wicket is slow and you have to play with a straight bat as the rivals are bowling in right areas and that too according to their field.”
Commenting on the conditions and the experience of playing with the pink ball, he said, “It’s my first game with pink ball and that too under the lights so I was quite cautious in the beginning. Later on, I opted to play a bit late as the pink ball does reverse swing quite often and it’s difficult for a batsman to be pre-committed for a shot.”
After forging a good partnership with Sudi Chatterjee, Priyank stated it was important for the team.
“We needed to have one more partnership today but still I am sure for the team to score 350 plus runs. Anything beyond 350 would be a challenging total for the rivals as we have genuine spinners who may dictate terms quite easily on this turf.”
