Priyansh Arya knows what people see when they watch him bat. The Delhi opener takes on bowlers, looks for boundaries and rarely shies away from an attacking option. His explosive performances for Punjab Kings in the Indian Premier League have made him one of the most recognisable young power-hitters in Indian cricket. But Arya does not want that reputation to define the rest of his career.

His 199 against Gujarat in the Ranji Trophy was an opportunity to show why. Playing only his third first-class match, the 25-year-old batted for 221 balls, struck 24 fours and six sixes, and came within one run of a double century. He had scored his maiden first-class hundred, but there was a bigger point he wanted to make.

"I consider myself a player of all three formats," Arya said after his innings.

It was a straightforward statement from a batter who believes that his game has more to offer than what his IPL performances might suggest. Arya has built his reputation in white-ball cricket, but his innings against Gujarat showed that he can rein in his attacking instincts when the situation demands it, without losing the strokeplay that has brought him success.

Delhi eventually declared at 648 for six at the Palam B Ground in New Delhi, with captain Ayush Badoni scoring 217. Gujarat responded with 479 in 174.1 overs, with Manan Hingrajia making 123 and Hrithik Shokeen taking five wickets for 143 runs. Asked to follow on, Gujarat reached 15 for one in eight overs before the match ended in a draw.

Delhi took three points for securing the first-innings lead, while Gujarat earned one.

For Arya, however, the match was about more than the result or the points on offer. His innings gave him a chance to show that the aggressive batter who has made an impression in the IPL can also build a substantial score in the longest format.

WANTS TO CHANGE IPL IMAGE

When Punjab Kings bought Arya for Rs 3.80 crore ahead of the 2025 IPL season, he had an opportunity to establish himself on a much bigger stage. He made the most of it, scoring 475 runs in 17 matches at a strike rate of 179.25. His campaign included a century and two half-centuries, with his 103 off 42 balls against Chennai Super Kings announcing his arrival in emphatic fashion.

Arya followed it up with another productive season in 2026, scoring 364 runs in 14 matches at a strike rate of 211.63, including three half-centuries. Across his first two IPL campaigns, he accumulated 839 runs at a combined strike rate of nearly 192.

Those numbers explain why he is associated with attacking white-ball batting. They also help explain why his red-ball credentials have not received the same attention.

Arya, though, does not believe that the perception tells the whole story.

"No sir, that is just what people saw because they saw me playing white-ball cricket. I have played red-ball cricket too. I scored runs in the Under-23 and Under-19 age-group tournaments as well. I consider myself a player of all three formats," he said.

There was no suggestion that he wanted to move away from the style that had brought him success in the IPL. Instead, Arya was making the case that attacking cricket and patient batting do not have to be mutually exclusive.

His innings against Gujarat reflected that understanding. He reached his hundred off 126 balls and then scored another 99 from the next 95 deliveries. He was dismissed by Manan Hingrajia in the 77th over, one run short of a double century.

It was an agonising way to miss out on the milestone, but Arya was clear about what the hundred meant to him.

"Obviously, it is very special because it's my first hundred in this format. I would want to score more and more for my team and win matches, so for me, it is very special," he said.

Arya also became the first Indian batter since KL Rahul in 2016 to be dismissed for 199 in red-ball cricket. Rahul had scored 199 against England in the Chennai Test.

The milestone he missed will remain part of the story, but the innings itself offered a more important takeaway. Arya had shown he could spend time at the crease, build an innings and still find opportunities to score freely.

LEARNING WHEN TO ATTACK AND WHEN TO WAIT

Arya's approach against Gujarat was not about abandoning his natural game. He understood that the conditions and the new ball required a different response from the one expected of him in the IPL.

"Early in the morning, on the first day, with the new ball, you have to play the ball as close to the body as possible. As I got set, I kept playing my shots, so that benefited me," he said.

It was a simple explanation, but one that captured the adjustment required in red-ball cricket. A batter who is encouraged to maximise the powerplay in T20s has to judge when to leave, defend and wait for scoring opportunities in a first-class match.

Arya said he approached his innings one session at a time rather than thinking too far ahead or getting caught up in the prospect of a big score.

"We play session by session. I keep talking to the coaches from session to session, and playing session by session really helps," he said.

He added that the morning session was generally the most difficult, while batting could become easier later in the day as bowlers tired. Recognising those changes helped him manage his innings without losing his attacking intent.

His partnership with Badoni was central to Delhi's dominance. The pair added 234 runs for the fourth wicket, putting the hosts in a commanding position before Badoni went on to make 217 and Delhi declared at 648 for six.

For Arya, the innings was also a reminder that his role could change according to what the team needed. He has always preferred opening, but batted at No. 4 last season when circumstances dictated a change.

"No sir, I am an opener. Last year, both openers were doing well, and our captain Ayush Badoni went to play for India A, so I got a chance in the middle order. Wherever I get a chance, I prefer opening," he said.

The explanation offered a glimpse into how Arya views his place in the side. He has a preferred position, but is prepared to adapt when the team requires it.

INDIA A EXPERIENCE AND A CHANGE IN MINDSET

Arya's recent India A commitments have given him an opportunity to experience cricket at a higher level and spend time around players and coaches from the international set-up. He spoke warmly about the experience of representing the side.

"When you wear the India A clothes, you feel proud, and it is a lot of fun," he said.

But the change he described over the past couple of years was not limited to the level of cricket he had played. Arya said he had also become more confident in his own abilities.

"Mentally, as I told you, I have more trust in myself that I can do it. Earlier, there used to be a few doubts, but now there are none. The more positive thoughts you put in your mind, the more it helps you in cricket," he said.

It was one of the more revealing moments of the conversation. Arya did not go into detail about the doubts he had faced earlier in his career, but he made it clear that he now approaches his cricket with greater belief in himself.

That confidence also shapes how he thinks about moving between formats. Rather than treating the switch from white-ball cricket to red-ball cricket as a major hurdle, he sees it as an adjustment that comes with trusting his game and understanding what each situation demands.

"You have to keep belief in yourself. If you have belief in yourself, you can play anything. It is just about switching between white ball and red ball and keeping belief in yourself," he said.

His 199 against Gujarat was a practical demonstration of that belief. Arya did not have to become a different batter to succeed in the longer format. He had to recognise when to defend, when to wait and when to play his shots.

There is still a long way to go before one innings can settle questions about his future in red-ball cricket. But for a player who has largely been judged by his performances in the IPL, the knock was an important step in making his case.

WINNING MATTERS MORE THAN THE MILESTONE

The temptation to focus on the missing run is understandable. A double century would have made Arya's first-class breakthrough even more memorable. Instead, his innings ended at 199, leaving him to reflect on a landmark that was both an achievement and a near miss.

Yet when asked about his targets in red-ball cricket, Arya did not offer a personal run tally or talk about reaching another milestone.

"Not runs, sir, just to make the team win. That is the only target," he said.

It was consistent with the way he spoke throughout the conversation. He wants to score more hundreds, believes he can succeed in all three formats and is increasingly confident in his own abilities. But he does not see personal milestones as the end goal.

His IPL performances have already established him as a batter capable of changing a game in a matter of overs. The innings against Gujarat showed another side of his game, one built on patience, judgment and the ability to bat for long periods.

Arya is not asking people to forget the power-hitter they have seen in the IPL. He wants them to recognise that there is more to his batting than that.

"I consider myself a player of all three formats," he said.

For now, his maiden first-class hundred is the strongest evidence he has offered to support that belief.

- Ends