(from left): Priyank Panchal smashes his 29th First-Class century with a six over wide long-on; Langurs during their siesta on Wednesday at the K Block stand of the Narendra Modi Stadium. (Express Photos by Lalith Kalidas)A domestic semifinal, even if it were to involve the home side, would not be an enticing prospect for the otherwise cricket-loving Ahmedabad populace to make the testing march and climb inside the world’s biggest cricket facility.
Abhiraj, who recently returned to the city after a fair few years studying and plying his cricketing wares in North Middlesex in London, had his expectations firmly in check when he turned up to watch a “friend’s friend” play for Gujarat on day three of the Ranji Trophy semifinal against Kerala.
“If Axar Patel were to play this game for Gujarat, perhaps the turnout would be better. Unlike the County Championship games in England where you’d have a decent turnout despite a nominal fee, in India you need the big international names to turn up for domestic games to grab attention. In England, it’s part of the culture and the county games warrant serious interest,” Abhiraj tells The Indian Express from a stand where he is seated alone, adjacent to another where the concurrent number pressed back and forth between 10 to 20 men but never beyond.
Local boy Priyank Panchal was not surprised by the lack of a crowd-infused glamour to his masterful 29th First-Class century that nearly reduced Kerala’s stoicism and grit to pieces, even leaving the ever-lively dugout from the previous two days hushed and devoid of innovative expressions.
Between Panchal’s unusually animated roar to celebrate a special 23rd Ranji Trophy century in his 100th First-Class appearance for Gujarat and the Kerala slumber, the langurs were up from a prolonged siesta. The far blocks of the 1.3 lakh capacity ground made for an odd viewing on Monday when a solitary spectator was seen amidst a sea of orange. Hooting and gathering in huge numbers in the arc opposite Panchal’s attacking zones on the field, the aggressive langurs even split open a large suspended speaker on the top tier of the K Block stand.
A grand total of FIVE spectators in the stands on Day 1 of the #RanjiTrophy semifinal at the world's largest cricket stadium in Ahmedabad. The active count drops to one before Lunch. Kerala had two drop back out before the break for 70 runs. pic.twitter.com/zTCYvI9C6s
— Lalith Kalidas (@lal__kal) February 17, 2025
While the furry tribe’s aggressive hoops and hoots reverberated through the stadium, Gujarat’s highest century-maker was grateful for the 20-odd fans who had gathered past the fence when he walked back putting his team on 222/1 in 71 overs at stumps, reducing Kerala’s cautiously built castle to within 235 runs.
“On a lighter note, at least these people turned out. Yahaan log aise hi aate hai, (in Ahmedabad you can only expect such low turnouts for a domestic game),” Panchal says with a helpless chuckle that would resemble the sweat-smiled chat emoji.
While a visibly well-fed ginger cat briefly appeared at the lunch break, Abhiraj had to make a gruelling walk out of the enormous Motera facility to grab a bite. Visibly jaded upon return, he wonders if a visit on the following days was worth it, even if it meant Gujarat had put on a contrasting riposte and nudged ahead of Kerala in the knockout race.
Kerala’s single-minded approach was handed a firm response by the hosts, assuring that there are always more ways than one to solve the multi-day cricket puzzle. Gathering only 39 to their overnight total with centurion Mohammed Azharuddeen (177 not out) running out of partners and options to smash boundaries against a spread-out nine-manned boundary circle, Kerala’s spin dreams were soon shunned by the devious pitch.
Despite using the heavy roller on day two in anticipation of a deterioration and crumbling of the roughs, the strip bound together as Panchal and his opening partner Aarya Desai (73) replenished the scoring rates above 3 rpo for the first time in the match.
“Two days out on the field gave us a good understanding of the pitch. We employed a similar tactic to Kerala in playing time but for us scoring runs were also equally important. We understood that the turn was only emerging from the two rough patches and not the pitch in general,” Panchal observed.
The left-right batting duo immediately got down to unsettling Kerala’s spin lynchpins Jalaj Saxena and Aditya Sarvate’s lengths, rarely allowing them to slip into a zone. Using the lush outfield in their stride during a 131-run association, Panchal and Desai employed nimble footwork and supple wrists to drive and drill the wobbly four-man Kerala attack. Though the scoring rates dipped after a crafty Desai was undone by a loosener that dragged back to the stumps off seamer Basil NP, the 34-year-old Panchal’s seasoned shoulders carried the momentum.
Dropping out from the national radar and carrying a slate of inconsistency in recent seasons has not ruffled Panchal’s big-game temperament. Vividly remembering his 149 from the semi-final the year Gujarat lifted their maiden title in 2016-17, Panchal said: “I know that I can counter any bowler and I have the experience. I was looking forward to a knockout game like this. It was important for me to contribute because some of the younger players could get carried away.”
Moments after local scribes raised doubts about the Ahmedabad accumulator raising the milestone with a boundary, Panchal lofted left-arm tweaker Sarvate over wide long-on for a rasping maximum. It was not an entirely new feeling for the seasoned opener for a fact. “Getting a 100 with a six? I think it might be the first time, but I’ve done it twice when I reached 195 or 196 for double hundreds,” he remarked.
Save for two of the 200 deliveries that brought the wicketkeeper into play, Panchal is well in the zone to double his shares with another milestone-crossing six on Thursday. If only Amdavad’s cricket lovers would come along to celebrate their long-serving gladiator reign at a desolate colosseum.
Brief Scores: Gujarat 222/1 in 71 overs (Priyank Panchal 117 batting, Aarya Desai 73) vs Kerala 457 all out (Md Azharuddeen 177 not out).
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