After Not in Picked Indian Team; Batter Announces Retirement

Former India A and Gujarat captain Priyank Panchal has today officially announced his decision to retire from all forms of cricket. Panchal is regarded as one of the veterans of domestic cricket and was at the brink of making it to the Indian team but it wasn’t to be.

Former India A captain Priyank Panchal today officially announced his decision to retire from all forms of cricket after featuring in 127 first-class matches and scoring well over 8000 runs.

“It’s an emotional moment. It’s an enriching moment. And it’s a moment which fills me with a lot of gratitude. To, most importantly, my fans. I always read all the messages coming my way from your end. Many of you talk fondly about wanting to see me in India colours. It’s with this steadfast motivation that I continued my journey till now,” he penned an emotional note on his official social media handle.

Priyank led the India A team on several occasions and was the Gujarat state team captain. He began his professional career in 2008, making his debut vs Maharashtra in a 50-over game. He made his first-class debut vs Saurashtra the same year.

The right-hand opening batter played 127 first-class matches representing the Gujarat state team and scored 8856 runs, averaging 44.7. He also played 97 List-A games and scored 3672 runs and 1522 runs in 59 T20 matches in his career.

Priyank Panchal has several times come close to finding a place in the Indian senior Test team; however, with the likes of Rohit Sharma, Murali Vijay, and Shikhar Dhawan already established Test opening batters, Panchal never got to make his debut.

And at the age of 35, when the new generation opening batters like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sai Sudharsan, and Shubman Gill are coming through, Priyank had no other motivation left to play the game.