Srinagar saw a remarkable display of resilience as Mumbai’s seasoned batsman, Siddhesh Lad, carved out a crucial century against Jammu & Kashmir in their Ranji Trophy Elite Group D opener. Despite being bowled off a no-ball early in his innings, the 33-year-old remained unperturbed, anchoring Mumbai to a commanding 336/5 by the end of Day One at the Sher-I-Kashmir stadium.
Mumbai faced early jitters, finding themselves at a precarious 74/3 by the 23rd over. However, Lad, renowned as Mumbai’s crisis man for his ability to perform under pressure, stepped up. He crafted a magnificent 116 off 156 balls, decorated with 17 fours and three sixes. He found excellent support from Sarfaraz Khan, who contributed a quickfire 42 (48b; 6×4, 1×6), and later from Shams Mulani, who remained unbeaten on 79 (125b; 8×4, 1×6). These partnerships were instrumental in shifting the momentum back in Mumbai’s favor.
The post-lunch session saw a significant turnaround, with Lad and Sarfaraz forging a 67-run stand for the fourth wicket. Just as Sarfaraz looked poised for a big score, he was unfortunately run out by a direct hit from J&K skipper Paras Dogra. However, the hosts’ hopes of a collapse were quickly dashed as Lad continued his masterclass, combining with Mulani for a formidable 159-run partnership off 180 balls for the fifth wicket, propelling Mumbai into a comfortable position.
Lad’s concentration was unwavering throughout his innings, growing in confidence with every shot. His dismissal, stumped off left-arm spinner Abid Mushtaq (1/73), came as a surprise even to him. “That was the only ball that spun the entire day. Even the bowler was surprised,” Lad commented at the close of play. He skillfully navigated the challenging conditions early on, bravely stepping out against spinners and executing delightful drives and cuts off the pacers to maintain pressure on the J&K bowlers.
Reflecting on his strategy, Lad explained, “There was a lot of grass on the pitch, and the conditions were favorable for bowlers early on. Post lunch, the wicket eased out, and I decided to take an aggressive approach to put the pressure back on them.”
Earlier in the day, J&K pacers exploited the cool weather and green wicket, keeping Mumbai’s batsmen on a tight leash. Despite their disciplined line and length, they would have wished for more than the three wickets they managed by lunch.
Invited to bat first, Mumbai lost Musheer Khan for a duck on the third ball, caught behind off right-arm pacer Auqib Nabi (1/43). Nabi bowled relentlessly but lacked luck, even overstepping when he castled Lad. Ayush Mhatre (28, 55b) and Ajinkya Rahane (27, 66b) then steadied the innings with a vital 61-run partnership off 109 balls for the second wicket, seeing off the new ball and calming nerves in the dressing room.
However, just as they seemed set, both batsmen fell within four overs to right-arm pacer Yudhvir Singh (2/82). Mhatre poked outside off and was caught behind in the 19th over, followed by Rahane, who nicked an unplayable delivery to keeper Kanhaiya Wadhawan in the 23rd. Looking ahead to Day Two, Lad expressed confidence, stating, “We still have good batters like Tanush (Kotian) and Shardul (Thakur) to come, so we will look to stretch the score as much as possible.”