Former India's Under-19 captain Uday Saharan proved his batting might at just 21 as he clobbered his maiden First-Class hundred in the Ranji Trophy 2025-2026 clash against Goa. Saharan's batting exploits came to the fore in his very first match as Punjab's captain.
Uday Saharan marks captaincy debut with maiden First-Class century
The young captain's innings was crucial for Punjab, who, after electing to bat first, found themselves in early trouble at 59/4 in just the 29th over. Saharan first steadied the innings by adding 33 runs for the fifth wicket alongside Ramandeep Singh. Following Ramandeep's dismissal by Arjun Tendulkar, Saharan built the defining partnership of the day, an excellent 123-run stand for the sixth wicket with wicketkeeper Salil Arora. At the close of play, Punjab reached 215/5 in 87 overs, with Saharan unbeaten on a well-deserved 100, and Arora holding firm at the other end with 51 runs.
For the Goa team, the wickets were shared among their bowlers. Deepraj Gaonkar was the most successful with 2/22, while Arjun Tendulkar, Vasuki Koushik, and Mohit Redkar each managed to chip in with one wicket apiece.
Uday Saharan's meteoric rise in First-Class cricket
This landmark century in the Ranji Trophy is only Uday Saharan's second fifty-plus score in the format, coming in just his third first-class match. The 21-year-old had previously notched a solid 75 runs off 169 balls on his debut against Madhya Pradesh last month. With this impressive start, Saharan now boasts a remarkable first-class average of 82.66 from his three outings, although he has yet to feature in a T20 or List A game.
Adding an intriguing layer to this achievement, Saharan was handed the captaincy for this match despite the presence of Naman Dhir, who was the designated captain for the season and led the side against both Madhya Pradesh and Kerala. The team management has not yet provided any official explanation for this change in leadership. Although he is new to the senior team's leadership role, captaincy is far from unfamiliar to Saharan. He famously led the India U19 team to the final of the 2024 U19 World Cup, where they finished as runners-up to Australia. In that tournament, Saharan not only showcased his leadership but also topped the batting charts with a stellar haul of 397 runs. His most defining moment was arguably the match-turning 171-run partnership he forged with Sachin Dhas (96) in the semi-final against South Africa, pulling India back from a precarious position of 32/4 to chase down a target of 245.