The lefthander has done all things right in his first senior outing for Karnataka
In recent years, Karnataka has become an institution when it comes to producing quality white-ball players. The likes of KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, Devdutt Padikkal, Abhinav Manohar and Shreyas Gopal to name a few, have flourished in the Indian Premier League while some of them have gone on to establish themselves at the international level.
Keeping in line with the state’s proud tradition, Ravichandran Smaran aims to make a name for himself at the highest level. The lefthander, in his first season at the senior level, has already shown potential that he is made to compete in the big leagues.
He has scored 170 runs from six games in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Tournament at a strike rate of 170 and has played a significant knock of 76 to guide Karnataka to the Vijay Hazare Trophy final for the first time in six years. Over the course of the tournament, he has also amassed 332 runs from six innings at an average of 66.
Besides these impressive scores, Smaran had also led Karnataka Under-23 team to their maiden CK Naidu Trophy last year which resulted in a senior-team callup. However, the 21-year-old isn’t fazed by numbers or the level at which is playing.
“At senior level, I don’t think there is much difference in skillsets and technique. It is the same across all age groups. It is the mindset that matters. You need to be patient to assess every situation at this level,” Smaran said in an exclusive interview with CricXtasy.
He keeps the emphasis on three things – playing long innings, winning matches and lifting trophies. He looks at his innings in the semifinal against defending champions Haryana in the same way. Walking in at 66/2 while chasing 238, Smaran forged a 128-run partnership with Devdutt Padikkal (84) which involved running quick singles and doubles while scoring boundaries when opportunity presented.
“It (playing long innings) has been there since the beginning. In the semifinal (against Haryana) I wanted to do the same. Having someone like Devdutt Padikkal at the other end is great and he made my job easier with his hitting. We identified the bowlers we could target and scored boundaries. A target of 240 (238) is not a big one and it’s the bowlers who are under pressure. So we knew what we had to do to reach it,” Smaran explains.
The left-hander has done things right from his first innings in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, scoring a match-winning 100 not out off 87 balls against Puducherry in the group stage. Smaran stemmed the fall of wickets on a tricky pitch at the Narendra Modi Stadium with a 113-run partnership with Shreyas Gopal for the fourth wicket to lead Karnataka to a three-wicket victory.
The importance of being set in the crease, taking the game deep and finishing matches are principles that he imbibed while coming through ranks in Karnataka, where players are told to excel in red-ball cricket first before making the switch to limited overs.
“All across Karnataka, the focus has always been the longest format and we play a lot of 2-day games across age groups.Currently, the focus is on becoming an all-format player with sound technique. But the culture in Karnataka is that we always put red-ball cricket first,” Smaran said.
Smaran was once again the key when Karnataka entered the knockouts. Chasing 282, Baroda hobbled in the middle, but the final pair of Bhargav Bhatt and Raj Limbani brought them closer with 8 runs required off the last two balls. Bhatt drove on the legside and thought of stealing a second run when Smaran, fielding at deep mid-wicket, fired a throw at the striker’s end to get a runout and win the match by five runs.
The smooth transition to the top level of domestic cricket was helped by playing in the Karnataka Premier League for three seasons where he rubbed shoulders with the big players from the state. Smaran was also full of praise for Karnataka captain Mayank Agarawal for making things easy.
“This (Karnataka) is a very young team. There are a lot of youngsters so the senior players have made us feel welcome all the time. Mayank knows how to lead and it has been like any other team I have played for. The environment in the dressing room has always been about making us youngsters feel comfortable,” Smaran said.
The youngster credits his coach Syed Zabiullah for his development, having first started training under him at the age of eight.
“More than a coach, he (Zabiullah) is a family member. He taught me a lot, not just cricket but about life as well. When I got selected to the senior team, he didn’t say much. He’s not a man of many emotions. He’s never told me ‘well played’. Wherever I’m playing, he’s always about what I can do next,” Smaran said.
Making it to the highest level in India, also means being able to play in the IPL. Smaran has appeared for trials to play for Delhi Capitals last year and for Rajasthan Royals, Lucknow Super Giants and Mumbai Indians without any luck. Smaran is not disheartened by the attempts.
“It’s everyone’s dream to play in the IPL and showcase our skills there. But I think it (chance in theIPL) is a byproduct of winning championships for Karnataka,” he said.
Like any other Bangalorean, he wishes to play for RCB someday.
“I’m okay with playing for any IPL team. Obviously as every Bangalorean, it’s a dream to play for RCB one day and win the title. But it is important to win games for the team I am with right now,” he said.
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For now, Smaran wants to stick to his mantra and contribute to Karnataka in winning the Vijay Hazare Trophy for the first time in six years. He likes to keep it simple ahead of the big final against Vidharbha on Saturday.
“We haven’t won the tournament since 2019, so we are hungry to win championships. The gameplan is to treat it like any other game and play the way we do. We have prepared well and have enough experienced players who have been in these situations,” Smaran said before signing off.
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