Priyank Panchal, a batting heavyweight in the Indian domestic circuit, has been called up as a replacement for Rohit Sharma, who’s out from the squad due to a hamstring injury. Panchal, 31, was rewarded with a second call-up to the Indian Test squad after recently playing for India A in South Africa, where he scored 96, 24 and 0. He was formerly a stand-by player in India’s extended squad for the four-Test series against England at home.
Panchal is one of the top opening batters in the Indian domestic circuit, for those who are unaware. Panchal has scored over 7000 runs in 100 First-Class matches, with 24 hundreds and 25 fifties, including a career-best of 314 not out against Punjab during the 2016-17 Ranji Trophy season. Panchal scored over 1300 runs that year, finishing as the best run-getter in the tournament.
With Rohit out, Panchal will be the third specialist opener in the squad, behind KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal, and with a three-Test series on the line, who knows, by the time the Indian team returns, he might have made an India debut, one that will be remembered.
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