Siddhesh Lad's fifth ton of season gives Mumbai upper hand against Delhi

Mumbai, Jan 30 (PTI) ‘Crisis man’ Siddhesh Lad peeled off his fifth century of the season to give Mumbai a first-innings lead against Delhi on an attritional day two of their final Group D clash in the Ranji Trophy here on Friday.

The 33-year-old Lad hit 102 not out (178 balls, 12 fours) to record his fourth consecutive ton in Ranji Trophy as Mumbai reached 266 for five.

Lad found a stable partner in Suved Parkar (53 not out) as the two put on 130 runs unbeaten for the sixth wicket, giving back Mumbai the control after Delhi, who made 221 batting first, made inroads with regular strikes.

Lad equalled Rusi Modi and Sachin Tendulkar in hitting at least five tons in a season for Mumbai.

Lad said he does not look too far ahead even though his goal remains to play for India.

“It has always been my ultimate goal to play for the country. But right now, I am just trying to do my job. My first goal is to win Ranji Trophy over Mumbai, since I have come back from some other state and MCA has shown faith in me,” Lad told reporters later.

Having played for Goa in 2022-23, Lad had rejoined Mumbai last season.

With his father Dinesh Lad being the coach of India players including Rohit Sharma, the Mumbai batter said he’s always seen it as privilege and not pressure.

“It was always a privilege for me. I see it that way. Dad never personally pressurised me, even though the people outside wanted to see it,” he said.

“When I was coming back to Mumbai, I didn't know if I should continue playing cricket or not. It was (my) dad’s passion and he said ‘you still have a lot of cricket left in you'," he said.

Coming off a fifth double century, India batter Sarfaraz Khan was expected to dominate but fell for 24, poking on one outside off to edge it behind to the Delhi ‘keeper.

Sarfaraz’s fell after Musheer (57) was adjudged caught behind on one down the leg. While there is no DRS in the group stage, the replays later showed a clear gap between the bat and the ball.

With Mumbai in a spot of bother at 136 for five, Lad joined forces with Parkar to thwart any further challenge that Delhi produced on a juicy red soil wicket which has consistently aided seamers.

Hyderabad, meanwhile, were ahead by 132 runs against Chhattisgarh as they reached 415 for four in the first innings. Abhirath Reddy (121) and Himateja Kodimela (125 not out) stuck their respective hundreds while Aman Rao (52) and Pragnay Reddy (52 not out) also chipped in.

Puducherry took a lead of 181 runs in the first innings as centuries from opener Neyan Kangayan (120) and Aman Khan (118) powered them to 349 after they had bowled out Rajasthan for 168.

Rajasthan reached 77 for two while trailing by a further 104 runs.

Shubham Pundir’s 165 (311 balls; 19 fours and 1 six) along with fifties from Paras Dogra (52), Abdul Samad (61) and Kanhaiya Wadhawan (56 not out) put Jammu and Kashmir in complete command.

The visitors extended their lead to 219 runs in the first innings against Himachal Pradesh, who had scored 168 on Day One, reaching 387 for five.

Brief scores: In Mumbai: Delhi 221 trail Mumbai 266/5 in 84 overs (Musheer Khan 57, Siddhesh Lad 102 not out, Suved Parkar 53 not out; Divij Mehra 2/38) by 45 runs.

In Hyderabad: Chhattisgarh 283 trail Hyderabad 415/4 in 105 overs (Aman Rao 52, Abhirath Reddy 121, Himateja Kodimela 125 not out, Pragnay Reddy 52 not out; Ayush Pandey 1/26) by 132 runs.

In Puducherry: Rajasthan 168 & 77/2 in 23.3 overs (Ramnivas Golada 47; Karan Kannan 2/18) trail lead Puducherry 349 in 93.2 overs (Neyan Kangayan 120, Aman Khan 118; Mohit Chandra 3/78) by 104 runs.

In Nadaun: Himachal Pradesh 168 trail Jammu and Kashmir 387/5 in 103 overs (Shubham Pundir 165, Paras Dogra 52, Abdul Samad 61, Kanhaiya Wadhawan 56 not out; Divesh Sharma 2/54) by 219 runs. PTI DDV BS BS