CRICKET | My role is to take the game deep and finish things off: Smaran

admin — Wed, 26 Nov 2025 14:50:00 +0000

Karnataka’s Smaran in action during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy cricket match against Uttarakhand at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad, Gujarat on Wednesday, November 26, 2025.
| Photo Credit: VIJAY SONEJI

Format, opposition, conditions — nothing seems to matter to R. Smaran in his current vein of form. The Karnataka batter continued his prolific run with a career-best 67 (41b, 7×4, 2×6) — his second T20 fifty — to set up a successful chase of 198 against Uttarakhand in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy tournament here on Wednesday. Karnataka got home with five wickets to spare.

Smaran later reflected that coming into the tournament on the back of a heavy run-scoring Ranji season helps, allowing him to “carry over the confidence” and have a positive start to the campaign.

The 22-year-old explained that his role in the T20 setup is “very simple” — “to take the game deep and finish things off.”

A compact, clean-hitting batter, Smaran is especially strong against spin, using his long levers to access both sides of the wicket. He displayed it against leg-spinner Himanshu Bish, launching two towering sixes down the ground. There were no funky strokes in his knock — just pure, orthodox ball-striking.

“You need to get your basics right in order to get those big hits. But I think I’m not a guy who can straight away go in and get those big hits. That is something I’m trying to work on — to get going from ball one,” he said.

He added that he’s been working on playing the reverse sweep. “Both point and short third will be in (inside the circle) for the spinners. And I think if you get that shot right, it straightaway puts pressure on the bowler.”

Published – November 26, 2025 08:20 pm IST

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Hardik’s individual brilliance key to Baroda’s perfect start in SMAT

admin — Thu, 28 Nov 2024 20:50:00 +0000

Hardik Pandya’s contributions have been vital to Baroda’s strong start in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament in Indore.
| Photo Credit: SHIV KUMAR PUSHPAKAR

Three matches. Three run chases. Three victories.

Baroda has had a perfect start to its Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy campaign. And at the core of its success has been star all-rounder Hardik Pandya, who is available for the entire tournament.

Never mind the clichés about everyone needing to chip in for a team to thrive, it’s hard to look beyond the overwhelming impact that Hardik’s individual brilliance with the bat has had in Baroda’s wins.

At the Holkar Stadium on Wednesday (November 27, 2024), the Krunal Pandya-led team seemed to be up against it once Tamil Nadu amassed 221 for six. At 83 for three at the halfway stage of the chase, Baroda was left needing another 139 runs at an asking rate of almost 14. Further trouble was in store as Krunal was dismissed in the 13th over.

It was the cue for Hardik to enter the scene and race to a 30-ball 69 to completely alter the game’s complexion.

“Hardik was confident that even 70 runs could be scored in the last four overs. With him, it was possible. We know that he can change the course of the game at any time. We just had to get as close as possible in the first 10 or 15 overs,” Baroda coach Mukund Parmar told The Hindu.

When Hardik was going for his shots, there was a sense of helplessness among the Tamil Nadu bowlers. It’s a feeling familiar to many who have gone up against Hardik in this tournament. In chases against Gujarat and Uttarakhand, too, he starred with unbeaten knocks of 74 and 41 respectively. None of this is surprising, given his pedigree as an India regular.

“We have seen him finishing matches for India as well. That power he has got. He looks so confident when he is at the crease. Even when there are singles to be taken, he is avoiding them because he knows he can hit 3-4 sixes in an over. The bowlers really have to bowl smartly to contain him,” the 56-year-old coach said.

Published – November 29, 2024 02:20 am IST

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CRICKET | My role is to take the game deep and finish things off: Smaran

Hardik’s individual brilliance key to Baroda’s perfect start in SMAT