Ravichandran Smaran once again showcased his immense talent with a well-timed fifty, leading Karnataka to a five-wicket victory against Uttarakhand in the opening Group D match of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) on Wednesday.
Uttarakhand posted a competitive 197 for five in 20 overs, but Karnataka’s chase was bolstered by skipper Kunal Chandela (88 off 49 balls, 7x4, 5x6) and Aanjaneya Suryavanshi (54 off 36 balls, 5x4, 3x6), who stitched together a 122-run partnership for the fourth wicket after their team stumbled to 32 for three.
Karnataka initially lost early wickets, slipping to 15 for two as Karun Nair and KL Shrijith fell cheaply. However, Mayank Agarwal and Smaran steadied the innings with an 84-run partnership for the third wicket. Quick wickets of Agarwal, Smaran, and Abhinav Manohar later reduced Karnataka to 128 for five in 13.2 overs, leaving them needing 70 off 6.4 overs.
The match went down to the wire as late-order batters Praveen Dubey (38 off 24 balls) and Shubbang Hegde (29 off 18 balls) guided Karnataka past the target on the final delivery. Pacer Vidwath Kaverappa impressed with figures of 3/37, while left-arm pacer Rajan Kumar claimed 3/24 for Uttarakhand.
B Sai Sudharsan to join Tamil Nadu squad
India batter B Sai Sudharsan has been added to the Tamil Nadu squad and will be available for selection from the third round of the SMAT, starting November 30.
“The state senior selection committee of TNCA has added Sai Sudharsan to the squad to participate in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy T20 matches being held in Ahmedabad,” said U Bhagwan Das, TNCA secretary.
Sudharsan, who featured in India’s recently concluded second Test against South Africa in Guwahati, had a modest outing, scoring 14 and 15 in the two innings.
Jharkhand continued Delhi’s tough domestic season by chasing down a small target of 133 with more than five overs to spare. The victory highlights Jharkhand’s growing form in the tournament, as they secured a comfortable seven-wicket win over the capital side.
