Mumbai’s dismal situation in this milestone match inspired me to bat on and on: Siddhesh Lad

The Ranji Trophy contest between Mumbai and Baroda was a landmark in the history of Mumbai cricket. It was their 500th Ranji game and the stage was perfectly set for the 41-time champion team to string together another great show on their home turf. However, the game didn’t pan out the way Mumbai would’ve wanted it to. The Aditya Tare-led team floundered throughout the game against a robust bunch of Baroda cricketers.

However, they managed to pull off a draw courtesy some stern resistance from the lower order. Siddhesh Lad played a gutsy hand of 71 runs off 238 balls and guided Mumbai to safer shores from a state of hopelessness. After the match, Lad explained how he desperately wanted his team to perform well in the game.

“Mentally, the plan was to not become out. It hurt me to find Mumbai in this situation (trail Baroda by a huge margin), especially in our 500th Ranji match. That motivated me to bat on and on,” he said.

The 25-year Mumbaikar also put emphasis on the experience he gained from the senior pros in the team skipper Tare and veteran Abhishek Nayar. “The only thing on my mind was to save the game. Having seen senior players like Aditya Tare and Abhishek Nayar do it repeatedly for Mumbai, talking to them how they went about in such situations, I have gained confidence. Seeing them for a while now, I have learned how to do it,” Lad added.

A lucky escape for Mumbai

After being bowled out for 171 runs in the first innings, Baroda batsmen piled on the agony for the home team by racking up 575 runs. Consequently, Baroda stormed into the ascendancy with a massive lead of 404. Mumbai had to play out the fourth day to salvage a draw. However, to the credit of the hosts, they staved off the Baroda bowlers to keep their semi-final hopes alive.