Smaran's ton, Rahul's 43 help Karnataka earn draw against Haryana
What's the story
Karnataka's Ravichandran Smaran shone in their Ranji Trophy Elite Group C match against Haryana.
His unbeaten 134-run century helped his side draw the match. Additionally, a crucial 43-run knock from KL Rahul sealed the draw.
However, Haryana topped the group with 29 points from seven games. Kerala followed closely with 28 points after their own successful campaign.
Knockout stage
Haryana and Kerala advance to knockouts
Both Haryana and Kerala have booked their spots in the Ranji Trophy's knockout stage, which will begin from February 8.
Despite Smaran's brilliant performance and the draw, Karnataka secured fourth place with 20 points, just behind Bengal's 21.
The team faced a challenging task in their final league match against Haryana, resuming at 108 for three, trailing by 38 runs.
Match progression
Karnataka's struggle and comeback
Karnataka's troubles deepened as they lost Devdutt Padikkal (43), KL Shrijith (2), and Yashovardhan Parantap (12) within 12 overs, slipping to 164 for six.
However, a determined partnership between Smaran and Hardik Raj (40 off 78 balls) brought stability.
The pair added 98 runs for the seventh wicket, consuming nearly two hours and guiding the team to 262 before Raj was dismissed by Jayant Yadav.
Match conclusion
Smaran's unbeaten ton secures draw for Karnataka
Smaran maintained his brilliant form, taking Karnataka's lead to 148 runs as they ended their second innings at 294 for eight.
At this point, Haryana settled for a draw, knowing there wasn't enough time left for a successful chase.
Meanwhile, Smaran emerged as Karnataka's leading run-scorer this Ranji Trophy season, amassing 516 runs from seven matches at an impressive average of 64.50, including two centuries, his highest score reads 203, (vs Punjab).
Match recap
Karnataka draw against Haryana on the back of Smaran's ton
In the first innings, Karnataka were bundled out for 304, thanks to skipper Mayank Agarwal's 91 off 149 balls.
For Haryana Anshul Kamboj picked up 4/32.
Tons from skipper Ankit Kumar (118) and Nishant Sindhu (165) saw Haryana post a mammoth 450 in their first innings. For Karnataka, Prasidh Krishna managed 3/105.
In their second innings, Karnataka managed 295/8 on Day four thanks to a gritty 134* off 218 by Smaran.
The match ended in a draw.
Summary
KL Rahul's Ranji Trophy return
Rahul who was playing his first Ranji match since February 2020, was dismissed early on in the first innings scoring only 26 off 37 balls (four boundaries).
Meanwhile, in the second innings, he made a comeback smashing 43 runs off 67 balls (seven fours). His crucial 43-run knock helped Karnataka secure a draw.
He now owns 7,331 FC runs at an average of 42.62 (104 matches).