R Smaran registered his eighth First Class century in round one of the Ranji Trophy 2026/27 against Andhra at ACA Cricket Ground, Mulapadu, and he did so after Karnataka had been in serious trouble.
Smaran stands tall as experienced stars disappoint
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 slumped to 22-4. India opener KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal and Karun Nair all fell for single digits within eight overs.
Smaran slowly rebuilt the innings alongside Krishnan Shrijith (58), and the pair added 111 for the fifth wicket. Wickets tumbled at the other end, but Smaran kept his fight going and reached three figures off 186 balls.
He eventually fell for 126, a knock containing 11 fours and a six, which helped his side recover to 274 from a critical position. Karnataka’s bowlers responded well, sending half the Andhra side back for 116 before Seeram Rahul and Revanth Reddy stitched together an unbroken partnership of 70.
Smaran recently earned a maiden India A call-up for the New Zealand tour, which starts on October 26 in Lincoln, on the back of an impressive Irani Cup performance. He made 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 hailed as one of the most promising talents in India, and his numbers back up that reputation. He has scored 1,945 runs from 21 first-class matches at an average of 74.80, with a century every fourth innings. He has also performed well in white-ball cricket, averaging 50.33 at a strike rate of 96 in List A cricket and 39.07 at a strike rate of 156 in T20 cricket.