R. Smaran missed the landmark of 1000 runs in a Ranji Trophy season by just a half-century in 2025-26. Disappointed as he was to not cross the elusive figure, Smaran is undeniably on the right track.
On day three of the Irani Cup fixture against Jammu & Kashmir, a curtain-raiser to the new Ranji campaign beginning on October 11, the 23-year-old from Bengaluru struck an exhilarating 126 n.o. off 131 balls for Rest of India. He had also top-scored for RoI in the first innings with a contribution of 68.
“It’s a very good start for me this season. Before heading into the Ranji Trophy, it always feels good to go in with some volume of runs. The goal doesn’t change. It is to score 1000 runs in the Ranji Trophy and be on top in back-to-back seasons,” Smaran, who will lead Karnataka in the Ranji opener, said after the day’s play at the Sher-i-Kashmir Stadium.
The southpaw’s ravenous appetite to rack up the runs is appreciable, but his batting isn’t just about mathematics. It is also shaped by aesthetics: there is infinite grace in his movements, and the innate gift of timing in his strokeplay. Devoid of any idiosyncrasies prior to a bowler’s release, he simply watches the ball, gauges the length, moves forward or back and lets his willow do the rest. It explains how Smaran effortlessly ticked the scoreboard along for his seventh First Class ton on Saturday, collecting 15 fours and five maximums.
The visitors’ dire situation – their lead was a mere 156 runs when Mukesh Choudhary came in at the fall of the eighth wicket — didn’t faze the youngster in the slightest. With the field spread, the Karnataka middle-order batter took calculated risks and dissected gaps with the precision of a surgeon. And when he picked his spot beyond the ropes, enveloped by a thick blanket of chinar trees, the outcome was almost always as desired.
“This ton is right up there given the situation and because it’s an Irani Trophy game that needed batting with the tail. The situation also demanded a certain style of game,” the astute batter observed.
Smaran’s capacity to pepper the boundary came as no surprise. While his chart-topping tally in the last Ranji edition turned heads, he was not far behind in the shortest version for his State. In the 2025-26 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) – the domestic T20 meet – his 319 runs in seven innings, achieved at an average of 63.8 while striking at 158.7, were the highest among the Karnataka batters.
If there is a minor hole to plug in his game, it is probably against high pace. For, his T20 numbers for Karnataka didn’t translate into success with Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2026 – he scored 19 runs in four innings. Smaran admits as much, with his encounters against the likes of Kagiso Rabada and Jofra Archer suggesting the need for more exposure to that calibre of quick bowling. It didn’t help that his preparation going into his maiden IPL stint was impeded by a shoulder and wrist strain.
“Playing against very high pace was very new to me. It was not something that I had faced before. The step-up from domestic cricket in terms of pace is very different,” he had acknowledged on the eve of the Irani Cup. “The preparation also wasn’t ideal. I could only bat a certain number of balls in the nets.”
How does Smaran plan to iron it out? “The preparation can be helped by facing bowling machines and side-armers during the season. Only that can give you the volume needed against pace. You can’t have bowlers bowl that much volume,” he reasoned. “There are side-armers available in the IPL who can ramp it up to 140kmph-plus and they can sustain it for long periods. There needs to be repetition against pace for it to become muscle memory.”
