Ahead of the South Africa tour, the Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) on Monday announced that newly-appointed Test vice-captain Rohit Sharma will miss the Test series against Proteas due to a hamstring injury. Gujarat batter Priyank Panchal was named as Rohit Sharma's replacement in the India Test squad. Taking to Twitter, Panchal thanked everyone for all the "good wishes" and said that he was "honoured to be donning Team India jersey".
"Thank you everyone for all your good wishes. Honoured to be donning the team India jersey. Thank you for showing faith in me @BCCI Looking forward to the series!" Panchal wrote on Twitter.
"Exactly after 100 first-class matches and nearly after one and a half decade in domestic cricket, @PKpanchal9 has finally got a chance to prove himself in Test . Best wishes bhai," wrote India wicketkeeper batter Parthiv Patel while congratulating Panchal.
"If Sabar ka fal meetha had a face @PKpanchal9 congratulations buddy for your test call up," former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan wished Panchal.
"Having played with him, I have seen his remarkable consistency and hunger for runs. But the best quality about @PKpanchal9 is that, he a great team mate. Congratulations young man. Finally, you have got your opportunity. Best wishes for the tour. #priyankpanchal," wrote former India cricketer RP Singh on Twitter.
Priyank Panchal has played 100 first-class matches and scored 7,011 runs at an average of 45.52, including 24 hundreds and 25 fifties.
The 31-year-old was the skipper of India A side for the first two unofficial Test matches against South Africa A.
The opener batted brilliantly in the first unofficial Test where he scored 96 runs in first innings.