Former India Under-19 captain Uday Saharan scored his maiden first-class century on the opening day (November 1) of the third round of the Ranji Trophy 2025-26.
Uday Saharan hits century on first-class captaincy debut
Batting first against Goa in New Chandigarh, Punjab were in trouble after slipping to 92-5. Their sole top-order resistance came from Saharan, who arrived at the crease at 15-1. The fact that he batted for 246 balls to bring up his century, hitting only eight fours, showed his grit and concentration.
Saharan’s partner, Punjab keeper Salil Arora, also gave him ample support, batting 131 balls for his unbeaten 51. As a result, despite the early hiccups, the hosts reached stumps in a comparatively comfortable position of 215-5. Saharan will resume exactly on 100 not out off 247 balls. For Goa, Deepraj Gaonkar took 2-22, while Arjun Tendulkar, Vasuki Koushik, and Mohit Redkar took one wicket apiece.
Playing in his third first-class match, this was Saharan’s second fifty-plus score in the format; he struck 75 off 169 on his debut against Madhya Pradesh last month.
For this game, Saharan was named captain despite Naman Dhir – who was named Punjab captain ahead of this campaign and led against Madhya Pradesh and Kerala – also being in the XI. No official reason for the decision has been provided by Punjab thus far. The 21-year-old now averages 82.66 from three matches the format, but is yet to play a T20 or List A match.
Saharan led from the front in India’s 2024 U19 World Cup runners-up finish
Despite captaining his side in just his third first-class match, the role is a familiar one for Saharan. He previously led India to the final of the 2024 U19 World Cup, where they lost to Australia. His leadership credentials were matched by his batting, as he finished as the tournament’s leading run-scorer with 397 runs.
Also read: ‘Put a stop to it now’ – India, Bangladesh U19 players separated by umpires after heated argument
While he notched a century against Nepal, his most critical innings was an 81 in the semi-final against South Africa. With India in deep trouble at 32-4 while chasing 245, his 171-run partnership with Sachin Dhas (96) orchestrated a memorable comeback victory.
Saharan has also captained Punjab in age-group cricket, and led the U23 side to a CK Nayudu Trophy triumph in 2024/25.
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