Making of Smaran Ravichandran: How coach Syed Zabiulla transformed a hyper-active kid into an all-format talent

NEW DELHI: Syed Zabiulla vividly remembers a seven-year-old Smaran Ravichandran doing all sorts of things while trying to impress his coach.

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“He was a very hyper-active kid,” Zabiulla, who is the coach of Smaran, currently a hot property in Indian cricket, tells TimesofIndia.com in a free-wheeling chat.



After a steady start to his career, the Karnataka middle-order batter has not only made a name for his six-hitting prowess but also for his penchant to score big runs in First Class cricket, which caught everyone’s attention.

In the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy season, he looked all at sea against Madhya Pradesh spinners — Saransh Jain and Kumar Kartikeya. The Karnataka team stuck with him, and he repaid the faith and ended the last Ranji season with scores of 203, 35 and 133*. The double-century came against Shubman Gill-led Punjab.

But Zabiulla feels it was not that knock which erased the fear factor in his ward. He says it was Karnataka’s last Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy league match against Gujarat, where he hit a six off Axar Patel, which turned the corner for the youngster. Karnataka lost the match, but Smaran smoked a 21-ball 49, including six sixes.

“He was a bit overwhelmed when he first entered the Karnataka dressing room. The likes of Mayank Agarwal, Shreyas Gopal, Devdutt Padikkal, Manish Pandey were in the team. He was a little nervous. So, as soon as he was playing, I also saw that. And he was a bit unlucky as well. Sometimes, when you play your first match with a very big team, you look very shaky. He got a game against Madhya Pradesh, with two superb spinners bowling from both ends. They are the giants of domestic cricket. So, he had that nervousness. And that nervousness continued for some more matches.

“But Karnataka backed him in T20 and they gave him the opportunity. And he got one good run against Gujarat. He got a very good knock against Gujarat. And he got one six off Axar Patel, where we lost the game. I felt that he had opened up from there. After he hit a six off Axar Patel, I don’t know whether he got the confidence or not, but I got it. I was very clear that he had opened up from there onwards,” says Zabiulla.

The six off Axar made Smaran believe that he belongs. He lit up the Vijay Hazare Trophy with his strokeplay, including a match-winning 101 in the final against Vidarbha. He received a heap of praise from Ravichandran Ashwin.

“When he went to Vijay Hazare, I told him very clearly, it has been a long time since Karnataka has lifted the trophy. In the recent past, the previous season itself, you lifted the trophy for Karnataka at the under-23 level. Vijay Hazare is a chance where you have to show that we are capable of lifting the trophy. And honestly speaking, either you score 30 runs or you score 300 runs in a match, but those have to be core runs for Karnataka. Even if you stop one run on the ground, that should be the cause for Karnataka’s win. Even if you take one catch, that catch should be the cause for Karnataka’s win.

“And I stressed too much on the mental aspect of him in that particular Vijay Hazare tournament. So, he was like, ‘Yes sir, I am very much positive to do that.’ I think he took that positively and he was very badly…”

“It was everyone’s contribution that Karnataka won the Vijay Hazare Trophy. And to be honest, for the first time in his life, I was very happy that he scored those runs which were very important for Karnataka. No doubt there are many who scored, but the semifinals and finals runs he scored were very important for Karnataka,” reflects a proud coach.

The penchant for runs

However, after being picked as a replacement by Sunrisers Hyderabad for Adam Zampa, an unfortunate injury ruled Smaran out. He hit the nets straight away after regaining fitness and worked hard on his red-ball game. The results are there for everyone to see, as the southpaw has amassed 595 runs in five matches in the 2025-26 season. In his brief 13-match career, the Bengaluru boy has already smashed three double centuries.

In a recent interaction with TimesofIndia.com, veteran India pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar had said that in this day and age it will be difficult for cricketers to play all three formats.

Zabiulla, a 36-year-old modern-day coach, admits it is tough but says that in Smaran, he has experimented with his coaching philosophy, which has worked wonders for the 22-year-old.

“Cricket is a kind of sport where players of all sorts of physical ability can play. Those who are short in height can also play. Those who are tall can also play. Those who are lean can also play. Those who are fat can also play. But the point here is what T20 cricket demands is a little bit of power. Ayush Badoni doesn’t look like a bomber, but he clears the fences at will. Badoni has that belief, which is very important. But at the same time, you also need to believe that ‘I can do all three formats,’” he explains.

The coach also breaks down why, in recent years—be it KL Rahul, Karun Nair or Devdutt Padikkal—Karnataka are producing batters who can excel in all formats.

“North India plays more T20 cricket and white-ball cricket. South India basically plays the least amount of white-ball cricket. The Maharaja Trophy gets over in 15 days. I believe that if you mix the old school with modern-day cricket, you will find players like Smaran. If someone wants to play all formats, you have to mix modern cricket and old school. So, that is what I have experimented on him from my point of view.

“The first-division cricket that we play here is of two days. What task did I give him in the first division? Play the first 50 overs like Test cricket. The next 30 overs, from the 50th to 80th over, you will play like a one-day match. And then from the 80th to 90th over, you will play like a T20 match. So, this is the task given to him. Anytime when you go to bat, whether you go at over number 11 or over number 45, the remaining overs, you play like a Test match. As soon as the last ball hits the 50th over, you change your gear saying that from here to the 80th over, I will play like a one-day match. And then from the 80th over, you have to play like a T20 match. And he has never played like this before. On top of that, he has learnt how to stay on the wicket in his under-19s and under-16s. This is one part of his growth.

“And the second thing: whichever cricketer he is, either a batsman or a bowler, now you will see a Test match, the first day it starts like a Test. And there are high chances, if it is an outright match, on the last day, you will definitely get the scenario of a T20. What I understand is, the one who knows how to play a Test match for five days, who can use his brain and play this five-day Test match, can be an all-format player,” he says.

A budding off-spinner

Coach Zabiulla recollects that when Smaran was 13, in one of the U-14 district tournaments, he picked up 31 wickets in two-day matches.

“He started his career as an off-spinner,” laughs Zabiulla.

Zabiulla noticed that Smaran had good technique to be an excellent batter and started working on his batting. But for that, he turned into a hard taskmaster.

“A teacher sees two things in his or her student. One is listening. The listening capability was awesome. And second, application, which was not that great,” he shares.

“I started giving him tasks. For example, I told him to keep his personal milestone away; he must try and help his team win. To make my team win, you’ll do anything. Here, what happens is you have a desire to win from within. The moment you have a desire to win, you start thinking big. So, as soon as he completed one task, I used to throw another challenge. For example, when he was playing under-14, I gave him a task that he wouldn’t play a big shot until he played 30 singles because it is a two-day match. After taking 30 singles, you can play any shot you feel is right.

"As soon as he completed 30 singles, in the next match, his task was to complete 36 singles. Until he completed 36 singles, I never gave him another task. I think this has guided him to the temperament you see today. So, these two things, right from his childhood, he has taken up. One is winning matches for the team. Two, completing the task set for you,” says Zabiulla.

Still a work in progress…

Smaran blends power with finesse and carries a natural assurance against spin. His strong back-foot play adds depth to an already complete batting profile. After breaking through in white-ball cricket last season, he has progressed impressively in the red-ball format as well, avoiding any hint of a second-season slump.

But for his childhood coach, he remains a work in progress.

“What I expect from him in the future is that no matter how many big knocks he has played, it should remain a chanceless innings. For now, it has not been the case. He has got reprieves. Sometimes, it was the umpire who has given not out; sometimes catches have been dropped. I want him to play these kinds of knocks which are chanceless. This is my expectation,” says Zabiulla.

“And a few times, vice versa has happened to him. See, the first match of this season, he was batting on 70; it was not out, but he was given out. So that happens, but what I want is that you do your work in such a way that no one points fingers at you. Then you become a complete product. I am a big believer in process. So once you are in, when you know what your process is, when you try to complete the process, the results fall next to your legs. This is my thinking,” says the coach.

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