On song: Smaran settled down into a fantastic rhythm after reaching his century.
| Photo Credit: K. BHAGYA PRAKASH
Even a month ago, not many would have rushed up to R. Smaran on a street to meet and greet. But in the span of a month, the 21-year-old Karnataka batter has really made heads turn.
On Friday at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium against Punjab, the southpaw followed up his hundred in the Vijay Hazare Trophy final with a scintillating double century (203, 277b, 25×4, 3×6) – his first score in excess of 50 in First Class cricket – to put Karnataka firmly ahead in the must-win Ranji Trophy Elite Group-C contest.
From an overnight 199 for four, Karnataka finished on 475, securing a massive 420-run first-innings lead. At stumps on day two, the visitors were 24 for two, staring down the barrel despite their skipper and India star Shubman Gill still occupying the crease (7 batting, 36b, 1×4).
Smaran began the day on 83, and though he started with a neat clipped four off Sanvir Singh to the square-leg fence, he endured a few nervous moments in the nineties. He moved from 91 to 99 via two edged boundaries between the slip and gully fielders, and reached the three-figure mark with a streaky six over mid-off.
However, he soon settled down into a fantastic rhythm, and as the sun beat down, sent the Punjab fielders on a leather hunt. With Abhinav Manohar, he put on 86 runs for the fifth wicket, and with Shreyas Gopal he added 75 runs. Sukhdeep Bajwa made matters worse for Punjab by dropping him at cover on 141, and he reached his 150 with a sweetly driven four.
Gill then tried to set a leg-side trap with as many as four fielders behind square. But as the copybook hook off pacer Gurnoor Brar to move from 195 to 199 showed, Smaran was up to the task. He soon brought up his double ton with a nudged single.
Off-break bowler Jassinder Singh eventually sent Smaran back, breaching his defence with a skiddy delivery. But in all probability, it will remain a small consolation prize.
The scores:
Punjab – 1st innings: 55 in 29 overs
Karnataka – 1st innings: K.V. Aneesh c Jassinder b Shukla 33, Mayank Agarwal lbw b Sanvir 20, Devdutt Padikkal c Prabhsimran b Brar 27, R. Smaran b Jassinder 203, K.L. Shrijith c Anmolpreet b Markande 26, Abhinav Manohar c Ramandeep b Markande 34, Shreyas Gopal lbw b Brar 31, Yashovardhan Parantap b Jassinder 26, Prasidh Krishna b Jassinder 30, V. Koushik (not out) 10, Abhilash Shetty c Brar b Markande 12.
Extras (b-7, lb-14, nb-2): 23; Total (in 122.1 overs): 475.
Fall of wickets: 1-55, 2-59, 3-111, 4-192, 5-278, 6-353, 7-420, 8-443, 9-460.
Punjab bowling: Brar 29-4-125-2, Bajwa 19-1-63-0, Shukla 23-3-73-1, Sanvir 18-2-74-1, Jassinder 17-1-66-3, Markande 16.1-0-53-3.
Punjab – 2nd innings: Prabhsimran Singh c Parantap b Abhilash 1, Shubman Gill (batting) 7, Anmolpreet Singh lbw b Prasidh 14, Jassinder Singh (batting) 0.
Extras (w-1, nb-1): 2; Total (for two wkts. in 13 overs): 24.
Fall of wickets: 1-3, 2-23.
Karnataka bowling: Koushik 7-3-9-0, Abhilash 4-0-11-1, Prasidh 2-1-4-1.
EOM
Published – January 24, 2025 08:07 pm IST
