Karan Lamba ends two-year wait with unbeaten century as Rajasthan pile up 286/4 against Tamil Nadu on Day 1

Karan Lamba relaunched himself in style on Sunday, striking a brilliant unbeaten century on his return to Ranji Trophy cricket as Rajasthan's batters made Tamil Nadu toil on a flat deck at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur, finishing the opening day of their Elite Group D clash on 286 for 4.

Sidelined for the last couple of years despite scoring a hundred on Ranji debut in 2023 against Jharkhand in Jaipur, Lamba — who last played a Ranji tie in February 2024 — proved a point or two to his detractors by slamming the second first-class century of his career. At stumps, vice-captain Mahipal Lomror was giving him company on 31 off 48 balls (5x4) as the visitors toiled hard throughout the day on a placid track.

Debutant Rajbhar falls short of a hundred

The opening day belonged to two former U-23 teammates — Lamba and debutant Rohan Rajbhar, who missed out on a hundred on his first-class appearance by a whisker, falling for 95 (133 balls, 11x4, 1x6). The pair, who also represented Jaipur at the district level, shared a 125-run stand for the third wicket, built on years of familiarity.

"It helped our running between the wickets. Having played together for a long time, we don't usually have misunderstandings," the 21-year-old Rajbhar said.

Saravana Kumar's day to remember

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 for 52. With not much on offer from the surface, the paceman's work ethic stood out as he bowled 19 overs through the day and claimed one wicket in every session.

How the day unfolded

Captaining Rajasthan for the first time in the Ranji Trophy, 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 with the first ball of his spell. Sumit Godara joined Rajbhar in the second over of the day and steadied the ship with a solid 104-run stand to deny the visitors any further advantage. At lunch, Rajasthan were strongly placed at 100 for 1, with Godara unbeaten on 49.

Godara did not add anything to his score after the break and was dismissed in the fourth over of the post-lunch session for 49. Lamba was off the mark in style and dealt mostly in boundaries. Kartik Sharma then threw his wicket away trying to clear the mid-wicket fence, falling to India allrounder Washington Sundar, which briefly gave the visitors hope. But Lamba gelled well with Lomror to restore the home team's advantage. He brought up his second FC century with a backfoot square drive for four off Saravana.

'Performing is in my hands'

Having waited since February 2024 for a Ranji game, Lamba did not look at his knock as a fitting answer to the selectors.

"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," Lamba 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."

He admitted the conditions 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. Though Sunday's ton came after a two-year wait, Lamba said he 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 added.

Sai Sudharsan joins TN squad

Catching everybody by surprise, Sai Sudharsan joined the Tamil Nadu squad on Saturday night to boost the batting line-up, having been absent from the squad announced ahead of the game.

"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).