Precocious Smaran R lives up to the hype, raises hope

Hubballi: Over the last five months of Ranji Trophy cricket, you might have watched Smaran R bat under pressure, in conditions conducive for fast bowling, on surfaces helpful for spinners, and on flat decks. And you would be forgiven for thinking that batting in domestic cricket is an easy job. 

Barring a couple of innings where he failed to cash in on, he looked in complete control of his game with season’s aggregate of 950 runs at an average of 86.36 sat comfortably against his name.  

However, those runs did not come easily. They largely came from hitting balls over and over when no camera lenses were on him. 

“During the off-season, I prefer a lot of volume because as cricketers playing in India, we get a very short off-season to work on various aspects of our game and I am happy that it is coming together,” Smaran tells DH. 

The left-hander came into his second season with a lot of promise and as the next big thing in Karnataka cricket after top-scoring the run-charts for the State with 516 runs at an average of 64.50 in his debut season.

The 22-year-old has backed up the hype with a mountain of runs, scoring two double hundreds and four tons, finishing the competition as the highest run-getter.

Smaran also makes an attractive package - a textbook southpaw who has all the shots in his book and knows when to bring them out. However, the best part his game is his belief.  

“The belief (to be the best) was always there right from the beginning,” Smaran tells you.

“Each practice session was towards excelling in the red-ball format. My goal in the beginning of the season was to get either 1000 runs or stay at the top. Fell short by 50 runs, but I remained on top. Glad I could achieve my goal.”

Across 14 innings, there were no lulls when he was at the crease. And he knows throwing his wicket away once he settles in is a crime. That hunger for runs, he says, has come from trusting the process and winning over his mind while in the middle. 

“Every time I bat, the one thing that enters my mind is to not throw my wicket away. I just want to put my head down and score runs. I keep telling myself that the only way I will get out is for a good ball.”

Smaran also added he sought quite a bit of time from his coach Syed Zabiualla and Karnataka head coach Yere Goud discussing his red-ball batting.  

“A lot of credit goes to my coach Syed (Zabiullah) sir. A lot of conversations with Yere (Goud) sir as well. Both of them emphasise on batting big and long because we are in a country where many do well. So the only way to differentiate yourself from others is to score a mountain of runs as and when you get the opportunities,” he offers. 

Smaran’s greatest asset is his game awareness, and from the start he knew what he had to prioritise.   

“Emphasis was given towards red-ball cricket. Since you have a lot of time out there in the middle, you usually tend to play along the ground. But at the same time, you try to put pressure on the bowlers whenever required to push the fielders back, especially the spinners.”

And guess what? His two double hundreds (227 n.o. vs Chandigarh and 220 vs Kerala) came in two spin-friendly conditions in Hubballi and Mangalapuram. 

Smaran has started with a bang, and has lived up to his hype and potential so far. But the evolving Smaran wants to take it to the next step: Winning the Ranji Trophy. 

“I think the only difference between the elite and the guys who don’t make it is the mindset. So I’m glad that I could stay at the top of the runs and I feel that it’s just the start and still have a long way to go. I have to keep scoring runs and more importantly help my team win the Ranji Trophy.”

With Karnataka duties done for the season and one of his goals ticked, Smaran already has his mind on another: Win the IPL with Sunrisers Hyderabad.

“Very excited to join the camp. Whatever role is given to me by the team, I will try to do it at my best capacity and hopefully we can win. That’s the main goal.”