Panchal ton leads Gujarat's strong reply

AHMEDABAD: Gujarat captain Chintan Gaja's prediction came true on Day 3 of the Ranji Trophy semifinal against Kerala, thanks to a commanding knock from experienced opener Priyank Panchal (117 n.o. off 200b; 13x4, 1x6).

Ahead of the day's play, Gaja had backed Panchal and the other opener Aarya Desai (73 off 118 balls; 11x4, 1x6) to deliver a strong start - and the duo did just that at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Wednesday.

After struggling to contain Kerala's batters in the first two days, Gujarat turned things around and bowled out Kerala for 457.

Brief scores: Gujarat 222 for 1 (P Panchal 117 n.o., A Desai 73, Basil 1-40) vs Kerala 457 (M Azharuddeen 177 n.o., S Baby 69; A Nagwaswalla 3-81).

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