MUMBAI: For almost two full days Mumbai's Ranji Trophy encounter against Uttar Pradesh was turning out to be a forgettable affair. They let UP score 625-8 declared. And when they batted, saw two of their top order batsmen get dismissed with just 20 on the board.
The situation looked hopeless.
On the third morning, though, things changed considerably for the hosts at the Wankhede Stadium. Two gritty half centuries and an eye-pleasing hundred meant that Mumbai had managed to atleast save face. When umpires called it a day on Tuesday, Mumbai had put on a respectable 353-5 after facing 90 overs. Hopes of a first innings lead look slim, but you never know in cricket.
And the men who led Mumbai's charge were
Siddhesh Lad (98), who was unlucky to miss out on a well-deserved century and comeback man
Sarfaraz Khan, who was batting on 132. Mumbai skipper
Aditya Tare (batting on 9) will start proceedings with Sarfaraz on the fourth and final day with the hosts still behind by 272 runs.
The foundation, though, was laid by two youngsters - Bhupen Lalwani (43) and Hardik Tamore (51). The duo, who made their debut in Mumbai's last match against Tamil Nadu, negotiated the conditions brilliantly in the morning session and added 75 runs for the third wicket. That partnership not only helped Mumbai see off the critical first hour, it gave a lot of confidence to Lad and Sarfaraz, who would later follow and dominate the day's proceedings.
Lad came in at the fall of Lalwani, who was trapped lbw by
Wajid Ali. The season so far has not been too rewarding for the middle-order batsman. If his form was a concern, the daunting score to chase down meant that the situation demanded restraint and application. Lad rose to the situation like a true champion. In between, though, Tamore got out to a nearly unplayable
Ankit Rajpoot delivery. But the 22-yearold showed great character while scoring his maiden first class half century.
Sarfaraz then walked in to join Lad. With the score reading 128-4, and still 497 behind Uttar Pradesh's first innings total, the platform was perfect for both batsmen to justify their worth. While for Sarfaraz it was a return to his roots - he had defected to Uttar Pradesh in 2015 - and was making a comeback after four years (includes a year of cooling off period), Lad had nothing to show for his efforts this season.
The way the two of them reacted to the situation, would have made even the most cynical of Mumbai's well-wishers proud.
Sure, the wicket was a nightmare for the bowlers, but Uttar Pradesh bowled much better than their Mumbai counterparts and troubled both Lad and Sarfaraz and had several appeals turned down.
Having survived a few tough calls, Lad and Sarfaraz mixed aggression with caution and started on a damage-control mission. To their advantage, the wicket had eased out and the ball was coming nicely on to the bat. While Lad took 174 balls for his 98 and struck 10 boundaries and a six, Sarfaraz was the more aggressive of the two. He scored his runs at a strike rate of 82.50 and slammed 14 boundaries and two sixes.
Lad was eventually out caught behind off the bowling of Mohammed Saif.
The ball now is in Uttar Pradesh's court. To take a first innings lead, their bowlers will have to at least take a couple of wickets in the first session itself.
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