R Smaran stands tall as experienced stars disappoint
R Smaran registered his eighth First Class century in round one of the Ranji Trophy 2026/27, against Andhra at ACA Cricket Ground, Mulapadu.
Handed the captaincy for the season opener in Devdutt Padikkal’s absence, Smaran had to dig deep after Karnataka lost three wickets for just nine runs and slipped to 22-4. India opener KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal and Karun Nair all fell for single digits within eight overs.
Smaran rebuilt the innings slowly with Krishnan Shrijith (58), and the pair added 111 for the fifth wicket. Wickets continued to fall at the other end, but Smaran kept fighting and reached three figures off 186 balls.
He eventually fell for 126, which included 11 fours and a six, and helped his side recover to 274 from a critical position. Karnataka’s bowlers then responded well, reducing Andhra to 116 for half their side. Seeram Rahul and Revanth Reddy then stitched together an unbroken partnership of 70.
A rising talent with the numbers to match
Smaran recently earned a maiden India A call-up for the New Zealand tour, which begins on October 26 in Lincoln, on the back of an impressive Irani Cup campaign. He scored 68 in the first innings for Rest of India against Jammu and Kashmir, then followed it with an even better 135 in the second innings to set up a 167-run win.
Now 23, Smaran is widely regarded as one of India’s most promising talents, and his record supports that reputation. He has scored 1,945 runs from 21 first-class matches at an average of 74.80, making a century roughly every fourth innings. He has also performed well in white-ball cricket, averaging 50.33 at a strike rate of 96 in List A and 39.07 at a strike rate of 156 in T20 cricket.