R Smaran registered his eighth First Class century in the Ranji Trophy 2026/27 round one against Andhra at ACA Cricket Ground, Mulapadu.
Smaran stands tall as experienced stars disappoint
Handed the captaincy for the Ranji Trophy season opener in the absence of Devdutt Padikkal, 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 slowly rebuilt the innings alongside Krishnan Shrijith, who made 58. The pair added 111 for the fifth wicket. Wickets tumbled at the other end, but Smaran kept fighting and reached three figures off 186 balls.
He eventually fell for 126, a knock that included 11 fours and a six. His innings helped Karnataka recover to 274 from a precarious position. The Karnataka bowlers then responded well, sending half the Andhra side back for 116. Seeram Rahul and Revanth Reddy then put together an unbroken partnership of 70.
A strong Irani Cup and an India A call-up
Smaran recently earned a maiden India A call-up for the New Zealand tour, which starts on October 26 in Lincoln. He followed an impressive Irani Cup campaign that earned him the selection. He scored 68 in the first innings for Rest of India against Jammu and Kashmir, then produced an even better 135 in the second innings to set up a 167-run win.
Numbers that back the hype
Now 23, Smaran is widely regarded as one of the most promising talents in India, and his record supports that reputation. He has scored 1,945 runs from 21 first-class matches at an average of 74.80, and he has marked 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 matches and 39.07 at a strike rate of 156 in T20 cricket.
