Ranji Trophy | It’s important that all the batters fire, says Karnataka’s Smaran

Karnataka's Smaran highlights the importance of collective batting effort for championship success in the Ranji Trophy.

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, 12x4).

“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.