BENGALURU: There is plenty about R Smaran that would endear to selectors and connoisseurs of the game. During the 444 minutes he spent at the crease, he had four occasions to celebrate. The landmarks were significant, both in terms of his fledgling career and for Team Karnataka. Yet, the celebrations were understated.
He acknowledged his 50 with a simple lift of the bat and a ‘thank you’ God skyward-look marked his century.
For the double century, the acknowledgement of his team’s standing ovation lasted barely 25 seconds. There was no leap in the air, or a fist pump. He remained grounded, much like the person the 21-year-old is. He pours all his energy and enthusiasm into the game, matching bold strokes with deft cover drivers. He makes it look easy.
On the muted celebrations, Smaran later said, “Right from the beginning, I have not been big on celebrations. It’s just the way I am.”
Over the past year, Karnataka’s U-19 and U-23 players have notched up record-breaking innings, starting with Prakhar Chaturvedi’s unbeaten 404 in last season’s Cooch Behar Trophy final. While the proof of flair has been plenty, Smaran’s batting has been an exhibition of talent, technique and temperament.
On Friday, he struck a stroke-filled 203 (277b; 25×4; 3×6) to steer Karnataka to a commanding 475 in 122.1 overs. It gave Karnataka a 420-run first innings lead over Punjab on the second day of their penultimate Ranji Trophy league fixture.
Staring at a massive deficit, Punjab dug themselves into a deeper hole and were 24/2 in 13 overs at stumps and trailing by 396 runs.
Abhilash Shetty and Prasidh Krishna sent back Prabhsimran Singh and Anmolpreet Singh in quick succession, crucial inroads that gave Karnataka a sniff of securing a crucial bonus point which could extend their stay to the knockout rounds of this championship.
Smaran began from an overnight 80 and steadily built on that platform, eventually finishing with more than 40% of the runs his side scored. It wasn’t easy since Punjab’s pacers extracted seam movement early on. But Smaran and his overnight partner Abhinav Manohar (34) settled well.
There were no signs of nerves jangling in the 90s, but Smaran got lucky when two edges flew through the slip and gully fielders. And as if to rub it in, he brought up his maiden century – off 120 deliveries – with a lofted shot over the fence.
Wickets, though, fell regularly enough at the other end. Manohar, chasing a wide-ish ball from spinner Mayank Markhande (3/53), mistimed it to Ramandeep Singh at covers. Later, all-rounders Shreyas Gopal (31) and Yashovardhan Parantap (26) failed to convert starts, while Prasidh Krishna entertained with a 26-ball 30.
Smaran himself was dropped by Sukhdeep Bajwa on 140 at midwicket and he made that lifeline count dearly for Punjab. He moved into the 190s by pulling Jass Inder (3/66) for a six. A cheeky single brought up Smaran’s 200, but he fell soon after with Inder knocking back the youngsters off-stump to bring the curtain down on a well-crafted innings.
“Once I got a hundred, I knew I had to make it big, because I was the settled batters. It was not so easy for the new batsmen to come in and play,” said Smaran on his thought process.
Smaran, who didn’t get off to a good beginning in his Ranji Trophy debut season, has repaid the faith of the team management and made the most of the lifelines offered. The top-order bat, who scored 433 runs in the Vijay Hazare Trophy title triumph, including a century in the final, stated he gained confidence from his performance in the white-ball tournament.
“The Vijay Hazare Trophy definitely made a drastic difference to my batting in terms of mindset. I felt confident about my batting, and I was in a good headspace. I just looked to carry on the form and make it big,” added Smaran.