Urvil warms up for Mushtaq Ali Trophy in style

Ahmedabad Urvil Patel arguably made an early switch to white-ball mode ahead of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) as he blasted a whirlwind double century against Kerala in the Ranji Trophy at the Narendra Modi Stadium. The game-changing unbeaten 210 off just 227 balls was the cornerstone of Gujarat’s massive innings and 64-run win against Kerala and served as a perfect warm up for Urvil for the upcoming T20 tournament. Kerala never recovered from Urvil’s brutal assault.

It was a definitive statement knock from Urvil, who previously had showcased his big-hitting prowess for Chennai Super Kings in the IPL. “It was my maiden double century in First Class cricket and I am happy that it came in a winning cause. I am always an aggressive batter and I love to play my strokes.

When I came in we were in a spot of bother but I didn’t want the bowlers to dominate me, so I decided to attack. It was important to get a partnership going and Vishal (Jayswal) played beautifully,’’ he said.