KL Rahul's ton and Ravichandran Smaran's 83* knock Mumbai out as Karnataka reach Ranji semifinals

Mumbai: He may have missed out on a World Cup berth, but KL Rahul has enough class to stamp his authority whenever he steps onto the cricket field.

On Monday, India’s Test opener struck his 24th hundred in first-class cricket to anchor Karnataka’s magnificent 325-run fourth-innings chase at the MCA ground in BKC and seal a four-wicket victory for the southern side over 42-time champions Mumbai in the quarterfinals of the Ranji Trophy. Rahul’s fabulous 130 off 182 balls, made with the help of 14 boundaries and a six, and his 147-run partnership for the fourth wicket with Ravichandran Smaran, who stroked a fluent 83 not out off 123 balls with 11 fours, set up Karnataka’s semifinal date with Uttarakhand in Dehradun from February 15.



Rahul, along with Smaran, took charge of Karnataka’s chase on the game’s penultimate day. At lunch, the eight-time Ranji Trophy winners were cruising at 265 for three.

Bowling a spirited spell, pacer Tushar Deshpande provided Mumbai some hope when he had Rahul gloving a bouncer to Yashasvi Jaiswal at short fine leg. Using the short ball well, Deshpande also had Shreyas Gopal (1) caught behind. When Karnataka wicketkeeper-batter Kruthik Krishna (2) was stumped off Tanush Kotian, Karnataka were wobbling on the cusp of victory at 285 for six, still needing 40 runs.

However, showing nerves of steel under pressure, the 22-year-old Smaran, who has already amassed 1,189 runs in just 14 first-class matches at an incredible average of 69.94, stayed till the end. Pacer Vidyadhar Patil, who swept Shams Mulani for a four to seal the win and trigger celebrations in the Karnataka dressing room, took the pressure off by hitting some useful boundaries in his 30-ball 31 not out, which included three fours and a six.

“It’s a great feeling. Beating Mumbai at home is always a tough task for any team, and that too in a quarterfinal game makes it even more worthy. And I’m glad we got a win and we’re really looking forward to the semifinals,” Smaran told reporters after the game. “Especially chasing 325 was not easy in the fourth innings. But I’m glad that we got to do it and finish,” he added.

Mumbai were always chasing the game once they were bowled out for 120 on Day One. The hosts badly missed in-form domestic run-machine Sarfaraz Khan, who was ruled out of the game at the last minute due to illness.

Mumbai were also left to rue a dropped chance when Rahul, batting on 75, offered an opportunity in the slips off Mumbai skipper Shardul Thakur. Standing at second slip, Siddhesh Lad dived in front of Yashasvi Jaiswal at first slip and grassed the chance that could have allowed Mumbai to claw their way back into the contest.

Agreeing that it was perhaps the turning point of the match, Smaran said, “I think so, because he’s a great player for us and dropping him is always a very costly thing to do. Rahul and I were looking to play some positive cricket. That did shift the momentum and got us even more boundaries in the next four or five overs.”

Talking about the experience of sharing a long partnership with Rahul and the latter’s influence in the dressing room, Smaran said, “It’s a privilege for all of us that he’s playing the Ranji Trophy games with us. He’s played a lot of Tests for India and he carries tremendous experience. He kept guiding me and telling me what shots are on and how I can pace my game. ‘Just keep the runs flowing and you always put pressure on them,’ he said. It was great batting out there with him. I’m looking forward to many more innings together with him.”

Karnataka have appeared to be a different team since the captaincy was transferred from Mayank Agarwal to Devdutt Padikkal, winning both their matches under the new skipper. Asked to compare the captaincy styles of the two, Smaran said, “Mayank also did very well. As captain in the first five games, which led us to qualify for the knockouts, he did a very good job. Devdutt is a calm guy even under pressure. Strategically too, he has made the right moves. Mayank and Dev have played for India and they know what it takes to win championships. There hasn’t been much of a change playing under the two captains. I’m sure Dev will carry forward Karnataka’s legacy.”



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