Positive vibes: Smaran has credited the dressing-room atmosphere for the team’s good run.
| Photo Credit: R.V. MOORTHY
R. Smaran has played for the Karnataka senior side for just over 16 months. But the highs he has accumulated in this short span belies the inexperience.
In Karnataka’s victorious 2024-25 Vijay Hazare Trophy campaign, he scored 433 runs and came up with a match-winning century in the final against Vidarbha. In the ongoing Ranji Trophy, he has totalled 823 runs, highest for his State and third-best overall.
“I am very happy with the achievement,” Smaran said on Tuesday, after scoring his fifth First Class ton (135, 216b, 12×4).
“All of us have contributed. Karun [Nair] has gotten close to 700 runs [691], Devdutt [Padikkal] has come close to 500 [532] and K.L. [Rahul] is batting really well.
“In order to win a championship, it’s very important that all the batters fire. I’m glad that in each and every game, one or the other guy has been batting well. So really happy.”
The century against Uttarakhand at the Ekana Cricket Stadium may have come on a batting-friendly surface, but the fact that it was the Ranji Trophy semifinal — a big occasion — wasn’t lost on him.
“It’s right up there, because it’s a semifinal. Although we got more than 700 runs on the board, it’s my first Ranji Trophy semifinal. It’s right up there.”
The 22-year-old also credited the dressing-room atmosphere. The present Karnataka XI has as many as five Test cricketers – Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, Karun, Padikkal and Prasidh Krishna.
“Hardly do you find a State side with four to five playing for the country. There is a lot to learn in the dressing room and a lot of talk happens on the field and also when I’m batting.
“So there are a lot of inputs from all four-five of them who have contributed a lot to the country”.
Published – February 18, 2026 05:45 pm IST
