JAIPUR: Sidelined for the last couple of years despite scoring a hundred on debut, Karan Lamba relaunched himself in style with a brilliant unbeaten century to provide Rajasthan a strong start against Tamil Nadu in the Ranji Trophy opener at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium here on Sunday.
Karan, who last played Ranji tie in 2024, proved a point or two to his detractors by slamming his second ton of his career as Rajasthan reached 286 for 4 on Day 1.
The opening day belonged to two former U-23 teammates – Karan and debutant Rohan Rajbhar. While the latter struck an undefeated 103 (133balls, 11x4, 1x6), the former missed the hundred by a whisker by falling on 95 on his first-class debut.
At stumps, vice-captain Mahipal Lomror was giving Karan company on 31 off 48 balls (5x4) as visitors toiled hard throughout the day on a placid track.
For Tamil Nadu medium-pacer Saravana Kumar, it was a day to remember. The 37-year-old, who made his First-Class debut in 2022 and last played in 2025, finished the day with 3-52. With not much on offer, the paceman’s work-ethic stood out as he bowled 19 overs through the day and got one each in every session.
Captaining the Rajasthan side for the first time in Ranji, Manav Suthar won the toss and did not hesitate to bat first. Rajasthan lost opener Sachin Yadav (1) quite cheaply as Saravana Kumar trapped him on the first ball of his spell.
Sumit Godara joined in the second over of the day and steadied the ship with Rohan with a solid 104-run stand to deny the visitors any further advantage.
At lunch Rajasthan were strongly placed 100-1. Godara, who was batting on 49 at the break, did not add anything to his score and was dismissed in the fourth over in the post-lunch session.
Karan was off the mark in style and dealt mostly in boundaries. The young duo of Rohan and Karan shared a 125-run stand for the third wicket before the visitors’ 37-year-old seamer Saravana snuffed out Rohan. His short ball kissed the opener’s gloves before landing in the safe hands of wicketkeeper N Jagadeesan.
Trying to clear the mid-wicket fence, Kartik Sharma threw his wicket away to Washington Sundar, giving the visitors hope.
However, Karan gelled well with Mahipal to restore the home team’s advantage.
Having waited since Feb 2024 for a Ranji game, Karan did not look at his knock as a fitting answer to selectors. He said he just did what he needed to.
“I have to do my job. Performing is in my hands, I focus on that. I don’t fret over selection too much; for me it’s all about how I can improve my game,” said Karan.
Karan, who brought up his second FC century with a backfoot square drive for four off Saravana, admitted that the flat track helped his cause. “The wicket was good to bat on. You rarely get such flat tracks, so I made sure to cash in,” he said.
Besides being teammates in the U-23 team last year, Rohan and Karan have both represented Jaipur at the district level and that helped their partnership.
“It helped our running between the wickets. Having played together for a long time, we don’t usually have misunderstandings,” the 21-year-old said.
“You can get selected from anywhere. It’s not that they will only pick from Ranji Trophy. If you perform well at the U-23s, they have their eyes on you anyway,” added Karan.
Though Sunday’s ton came after two years of wait, Karan enjoyed his century on Ranji debut in 2023 against Jharkhand in Jaipur more. “As a cricketer, it is a dream to play in the Ranji Trophy. The day I realised that dream I hit a hundred so that was more satisfying,” he said.
Catching everybody by surprise, Sai Sudharsan joins the TN squad to boost the batting line-up.
“Sai came at 10pm on Saturday night from Puducherry. We didn't know about his arrival until he landed at the hotel,” said TN team manager Goutham Dangi.
Brief Scores: Rajasthan 286/4 in 85 overs (Karan Lamba 103*, Rohan Rajbhar 95, Sumit Godara 49, Mahipal Lomror 31*; Saravana Kumar 3-52, Washington Sundar 1-49).
Karan, who last played Ranji tie in 2024, proved a point or two to his detractors by slamming his second ton of his career as Rajasthan reached 286 for 4 on Day 1.
The opening day belonged to two former U-23 teammates – Karan and debutant Rohan Rajbhar. While the latter struck an undefeated 103 (133balls, 11x4, 1x6), the former missed the hundred by a whisker by falling on 95 on his first-class debut.
At stumps, vice-captain Mahipal Lomror was giving Karan company on 31 off 48 balls (5x4) as visitors toiled hard throughout the day on a placid track.
For Tamil Nadu medium-pacer Saravana Kumar, it was a day to remember. The 37-year-old, who made his First-Class debut in 2022 and last played in 2025, finished the day with 3-52. With not much on offer, the paceman’s work-ethic stood out as he bowled 19 overs through the day and got one each in every session.
Captaining the Rajasthan side for the first time in Ranji, Manav Suthar won the toss and did not hesitate to bat first. Rajasthan lost opener Sachin Yadav (1) quite cheaply as Saravana Kumar trapped him on the first ball of his spell.
Sumit Godara joined in the second over of the day and steadied the ship with Rohan with a solid 104-run stand to deny the visitors any further advantage.
At lunch Rajasthan were strongly placed 100-1. Godara, who was batting on 49 at the break, did not add anything to his score and was dismissed in the fourth over in the post-lunch session.
Karan was off the mark in style and dealt mostly in boundaries. The young duo of Rohan and Karan shared a 125-run stand for the third wicket before the visitors’ 37-year-old seamer Saravana snuffed out Rohan. His short ball kissed the opener’s gloves before landing in the safe hands of wicketkeeper N Jagadeesan.
Trying to clear the mid-wicket fence, Kartik Sharma threw his wicket away to Washington Sundar, giving the visitors hope.
However, Karan gelled well with Mahipal to restore the home team’s advantage.
Having waited since Feb 2024 for a Ranji game, Karan did not look at his knock as a fitting answer to selectors. He said he just did what he needed to.
“I have to do my job. Performing is in my hands, I focus on that. I don’t fret over selection too much; for me it’s all about how I can improve my game,” said Karan.
Karan, who brought up his second FC century with a backfoot square drive for four off Saravana, admitted that the flat track helped his cause. “The wicket was good to bat on. You rarely get such flat tracks, so I made sure to cash in,” he said.
Besides being teammates in the U-23 team last year, Rohan and Karan have both represented Jaipur at the district level and that helped their partnership.
“It helped our running between the wickets. Having played together for a long time, we don’t usually have misunderstandings,” the 21-year-old said.
“You can get selected from anywhere. It’s not that they will only pick from Ranji Trophy. If you perform well at the U-23s, they have their eyes on you anyway,” added Karan.
Though Sunday’s ton came after two years of wait, Karan enjoyed his century on Ranji debut in 2023 against Jharkhand in Jaipur more. “As a cricketer, it is a dream to play in the Ranji Trophy. The day I realised that dream I hit a hundred so that was more satisfying,” he said.
Sai Sudharsan joins TN squad
Catching everybody by surprise, Sai Sudharsan joins the TN squad to boost the batting line-up.
“Sai came at 10pm on Saturday night from Puducherry. We didn't know about his arrival until he landed at the hotel,” said TN team manager Goutham Dangi.
Brief Scores: Rajasthan 286/4 in 85 overs (Karan Lamba 103*, Rohan Rajbhar 95, Sumit Godara 49, Mahipal Lomror 31*; Saravana Kumar 3-52, Washington Sundar 1-49).