Panchal knocks another hundred to give Gujarat the upper hand

GUJARAT OPENER Priyank Panchal's dream season in first-class cricket just got better as his unbeaten 144 enabled Gujarat to reach a comfortable 283 for 3 against Jharkhand on the first day of the Ranji Trophy semifinal, here on Sunday.

Panchal and skipper Parthiv Patel's 62 were the two significant contributions after Gujarat won the toss. The day certainly belonged to Panchal, who again showed fantastic temperament during his 252-ball undefeated knock that had 21 boundaries. He blended caution with occasional aggression adding 139 runs for the third wicket with Parthiv, whose 62 had six fours and a six. Panchal now has scored five centuries in the current season and his accumulated runs in the national championship has swelled to 1264 runs already with a staggering average of 114.90.

Gujarat started cautiously with world record holder Samit Gohil once again playing his defensive game as he crawled to 18 off 52 balls before seamer Vikash Singh removed him caught by Virat Singh. Panchal remain unfazed as his 50 came off 72 balls. He got good support from Bharghav Merai (39). Merai hit six boundaries in 66 balls as he and Panchal added 65 runs for the second wicket. Once Merai edged a Vikash delivery to Ishan Kishan behind the stumps, skipper Parthiv joined Panchal with a lot of positive intent. It was the 173rd delivery and just at the stroke of tea that Panchal struck a boundary to complete his 10th hundred in first-class cricket.

Under MSD’S watch

India's limited overs captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni was present during the opening day proceedings of the Ranji Trophy semi-finals cheering his home-state Jharkhand against Gujarat. While Gujarat walked away with the honours on the first day with a scorecard reading 283 for 3, Dhoni clad in black round neck polo T and light grey track pants sat in the dug-out throught the entire first day's play. Once the day's play was over, Dhoni was seen chatting with the boys as they were going through their cooldown routines.

Gujarat 283/3 in 88 overs (Priyank Panchal 144 batting, Parthiv Patel 62, Vikash Singh 2/48).

BRIEF SCORES: