Karnataka are yet to win a match in the Ranji Trophy 2025/26 campaign.
Days before the Test series against South Africa, Karun Nair is setting the stage on fire in the Ranji Trophy 2025/26. After his heroics against Goa in the second round of the tournament, the batter from Karnataka has gone on to score a double century against Kerala.
The Karnataka batter, along with Smaran Ravichandran registered a partnership worth more than 300 runs, after the team was reduced to 13/2 at a stage. KL Shrijith also contributed with a crucial 65, after which he was dismissed by Ahammed Imran.
Karun Nair’s century comes at a crucial juncture in his career. The 33-year-old was selected for the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, but was never able to instil confidence with his batting on the tour. Karun and Sai Sudharsan were the two candidates for the No.3 spot, and the latter was selected for the two-Test series against the West Indies in October.
The Chairman of Selectors, Ajit Agarkar, after the squad announcement for the West Indies series said that the management expected a little more out of Karun Nair on the England tour. However, the batter from Karnataka is focused on contributing to the victory for whichever side he is representing, and has voiced that the maximum he can do is to keep scoring runs. And he is doing exactly that!
As if his unbeaten 174* was enough in the last match against Goa, the batter from Karnataka has upped the ante in his very next fixture. With a double century in the very next game against Kerala, Karun has achieved two things. One, he is banging hard on the doors of the selectors for the Test series against South Africa.
The second, however, would be that the 33-year-old is breathing down the neck of youngster Sai Sudharsan for the No.3 role, which Sudharsan is favoured for at the moment. The left-hander scored a composed 87 in the second Test in Delhi against the West Indies. But it would be difficult for the selectors to ignore a century and a double ton in consecutive games.
The Delhi Capitals (DC) batter was sidelined from the Indian Test setup after he scored a magnificent triple century against England in Chennai. Since then, Karun Nair has wanted to make a comeback to the side, which he was given a chance for on the tour to England. However, since then, he has been in and out of the team.
While one terrific innings was being played, the other one was just 22 yards away. Smaran Ravichandran also found his way towards a fantastic double century, and walked back after being unbeaten for 220 runs after Karnataka decided to declare. The innings comprised 16 fours and three maximums, and was played at a healthy strike-rate of around 57.
The left-handed batter has showcased promising performances in domestic cricket consistently, and has stamped his authority over the T20 leagues as well. However, Smaran Ravichandran has shown that he has the ability to play the waiting game, which are extremely good signs.
Young blood slowly settling in to the No.3 role in the longest format. Shaik Rasheed from Andhra Pradesh smashed a terrific 140* in their match against Odisha in Cuttack. The youngster, who was slated to come in at No.3, was provided with a wonderful start (161) by openers Abhishek Reddy and Srikar Bharat.
Having said that, the former U19 player stormed into the role and stayed in the middle despite wickets tumbled around him. It took him 224 deliveries to get to an unbeaten 124, an innings which included 18 boundaries. His knock displayed great discipline and commitment over the course of the innings. As a result, Andhra declared the innings on 475/7.
To add to that, the youngster had also scored 136 in the first game of the tournament, against Uttar Pradesh. Though the match was drawn after Rinku Singh’s heroics, the knock will have given a lot of confidence to Rasheed. The 21-year-old looks like a fine prospect for the future, and has played in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK).
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After Mumbai scored 254 on the back of a successful 67 from Yashasvi Jaiswal on Day 1, Rajasthan had their task cut out. After Sachin Yadav was run-out on 92 to a throw from Musheer Khan, Deepak Hooda rose up to take the responsibility. The all-rounder has scripted his 14th First-class hundred, and also played a huge role in helping Rajasthan towards the first innings lead.
Hooda came in at a time which was crucial in the context of the game. However, he steered Rajasthan to a safe zone on the road to his hundred. From the Mumbai camp, Tushar Deshpande scalped two wickets, but any other bowlers were not able to make a mark. In the first innings, Musheer Khan fell one short of a fifty as no one could cross the fifty-run mark.
The 30-year-old all-rounder has been a stalwart at the domestic level. In 62 First-class games, he has scored more than 3,800 runs with 14 hundreds and 18 fifties.
Jharkhand opener Shikhar Mohan had a fantastic outing against Nagaland. The 20-year-old went on to score a double hundred in the first innings of the match. After the team lost two wickets in quick succession, Mohan stitched a 253-run partnership for the fourth wicket with stand-in skipper Virat Singh, who himself accumulated 105. Virat Singh has replaced Ishan Kishan as the skipper, as the latter was with the India A side as a replacement for the injured Narayan Jagadeesan.
On the other hand, Ulenyai Khwairakpam of Manipur dazzled with a century himself in their fixture against Arunachal Pradesh. After being put in to bat first, the opener stitched a 211-run stand for the first wicket with teammate Karnajit Yumnam. The team declared with the score at 505/3, and are leading Arunachal Pradesh by 341 runs at stumps on Day 2.
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