Smaran’s second ton in Ranji only positive as K’taka bow out in League stage

Bengaluru: Karnataka’s turn in form on the stroke of the year, didn’t translate into qualification to the quarter finals of the Ranji Trophy, as Haryana walked away with three points (First Innings Lead) at the final Elite Group C fixture here at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Sunday. Despite Smaran’s second century in two Ranji Trophy matches, it meant little for his team’s chances to move further to the knockouts.

With cracks evolving on the pitch, batting on it was expected to be difficult. Devdutt Padikkal failed to convert his 43 run essay to a fifty, getting LBW’d to in-form bowler Anshul Kamboj. The middle order of Karnataka didn’t contribute much to the scoreboard, as wicketkeeper KL Shrijith and Yashovardhan Parantap fell off quickly.

Brief Scores: Karnataka 304 all out in 104 overs (M Agarwal 91 off 149 balls, [4x8], [3x6], D Padikkal 43 off 93, [4x4], A Kamboj 22- 6 - 32 - 4, A Thakral 20 - 2 - 88 - 4) and 294/8 in 89.5 overs (R Smaran 133* off 217 balls [4x17,6x2] D Padikkal 43, A Kamboj 16 - 4 - 40 - 3) Drew Haryana: 450 all out in 115.3 overs (A Kumar 118 off 154 balls, [4x19], N Sindhu 165 off 184, [4x15, 6x6] H Raj 16.3 - 2 - 73 - 3]) Haryana takes FIL.