Bengaluru: KL Rahul's much-anticipated return to the Ranji Trophy was short-lived as he was dismissed for just 26 runs on a good batting pitch at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru during the Karnataka's clash against Haryana on Thursday.
Rahul, making his first appearance in the tournament since February 2020, came in at No. 3 after openers KV Aneesh and Mayank Agarwal put on a solid 45-run partnership. He looked composed at the crease, hitting four boundaries during his 37-ball innings.
However, his return to domestic cricket was cut short when he was dismissed by Haryana pacer Anshul Kamboj, who has been in impressive form this season.
Despite Rahul’s early exit, Karnataka continued to build a strong innings. Mayank Agarwal, intent on keeping the scoreboard ticking, played a swashbuckling knock, hitting three sixes and eight boundaries. He was just nine runs short of a deserved century when he was dismissed by Anuj Thakral in the 48th over, leaving Karnataka in a commanding position.
After Mayank’s dismissal, 21-year-old Ravichandran Smaran, fresh off his double century against Punjab in the previous round, joined Devdutt Padikkal at the crease. Smaran's solid form added further strength to Karnataka's pursuit of a dominant total.
KL Rahul's return to Ranji cricket was highly anticipated, but it has been a tough road for the star batsman. His last domestic First-class appearance came in September during the Duleep Trophy, where he played for India A in a losing effort.
Prior to this, his only recent Ranji Trophy outing was in 2020 when he scored 26 and 0 in a semifinal against Bengal. Rahul had also missed Karnataka’s previous game against Punjab due to an elbow injury, adding to the long wait for his return to form in domestic cricket.
As the day ended, KL Shrijith (18*) and Yashovardhan Parantap (27*) remained at the crease, with a partnership of 45* runs for the sixth wicket. The Karnataka innings currently stands at 267/5, with 21 overs remaining for the day.
The highest partnership of the day so far has been 62 runs between Agarwal and Padikkal.
The match will continue tomorrow, with Karnataka aiming to add more runs and build a strong first-innings total. The on-field umpires for the match are Swaroopanand Kannur and Ajitesh K Argal, with Vineet Kulkarni serving as the third umpire and Shakti Singh as the match referee.