CHENNAI: When Vidyadhar Patil scored the winning runs off Mumbai spinner Shams Mulani, it marked the end of another classic Ranji Trophy quarterfinal tie between these two sides. Under the blue sky at the BKC ground on Day Four, the tie see-sawed between the fabled sides, especially post-lunch. Cruising at 265/3 in their chase of 325, Karnataka found themselves at 285/6 ten overs. India Test opener KL Rahul, who earlier posted a composed ton under pressure (131) was dismissed early. Shreyas Gopal and Kruthik Krishna did not stay for long.
Smaran R, who had registered another masterful fifty before lunch, was the only recognised batter on the field, when Vidhyadhar walked in. While the 22-year-old southpaw took the cautious route, Patil decided to score quickly. As the duo guided Karnataka to their first semifinal since 2023, there were muted celebrations on the pitch, in contrary to loud roars from the dressing room.
Amidst the celebrations, Karnataka head coach Yere Goud was a relieved man. After seeing his team snatch a miraculous win against Punjab in Mohali, he witnessed yet another landmark win in his second stint as senior team coach. "Chasing 325 on day four against Mumbai, is quite a commendable job as far as Karnataka is concerned," Goud told this daily.
"This year, we knew we need to start strongly. From 5 games, we were expecting around 24 points actually. But we ended up with 21 (before win vs Punjab). I think the team has gelled well and the players took care. Now, we have five Test players playing in the XI. That also makes a lot of difference," he added.
In the final day of that game in Mohali, the visitors were up against it thanks to a thick layer of fog, which prompted a delayed start. Needing 250 runs with just one and a half session remaining, Karnataka, led by new skipper Devdutt Padikkal fired their way, amassing the total within 28 overs.
"We missed two of our big-stage players in Karun Nair and Smaran. We knew that we need to have full game. The kind of innings they played, that shows the kind of quality the team possesses," Goud said. "Even though we were given 40 overs, we knew that they would bowl only 28-29 overs. Probably, after doing so well in the league stage, missing out would have definitely hurt us," he said.
Smaran's growth
Smaran is having a breakout campaign. Only in his second season in First-Class cricket, he has taken the intricacies and the demands of it like hand to gloves. Slamming two centuries in five league games (he missed out on the last two games), his unbeaten 83 may grab eyeballs.
"This year, he has improved his game a lot more, scored bigger runs and scored when it matters. The fact that he's got two double hundreds shows his hunger and skill. These are the kind of knocks that push a player to the next level and grab the eyeballs of the selectors," KL Rahul, who was adjudged player of the match for his 131 against Mumbai, told in the post-match presentation.
Goud felt that Nair's return from Vidarbha has helped Smaran. "We knew from game one, Karun will be our mainstay at number four and with him, the batting will evolve. Smaran probably learnt a lot from how to play in terms of converting the starts into beginnings," Goud said.
Now that they have learnt their semi-final opponents in Uttarakhand, Goud felt that with everyone free of injury, Karnataka has a strong chance of going all the way.