There comes a special moment in cricketers' lives that could be a life-changer. Nikhil Patil and Sidhesh Lad, promising batsman who could go on to serve Mumbai cricket for long if they keep their direction right, scored their first Ranji Trophy centuries on Saturday.
There comes a special moment in cricketers' lives that could be a life-changer. Nikhil Patil and Sidhesh Lad, promising batsman who could go on to serve Mumbai cricket for long if they keep their direction right, scored their first Ranji Trophy centuries on Saturday.
Both have played age-group cricket together for Mumbai, having amassed runs for the under-25 side in the 2012-13 season. Patil, elder to Lad by two years, beat his junior to the Ranji cap by a season. But it was Lad who has received more opportunities than Patil, having played in 10 Ranji games compared with Patil's two before the ongoing Karnataka encounter.
Patil had a forgettable debut, falling for 0 against Gujarat in December 2012 while Lad made 2 and 20 in his maiden appearance against Punjab the next season. However, after five half-centuries and one, respectively, by Lad and Patil, the two scored their maiden Ranji century on Saturday against Karnataka.
Both scored identical 106, Lad's coming from 135 balls in 187 minutes with 20 fours while Patil's was slower, coming in 172 balls in his 228-minute stay in the middle with 13 fours and two sixes.
"We have batted together from the under-25 days. If Lad was the highest scorer, I was the second best," Patil recalled of their earlier days on Saturday.
"It is a special feeling to get our first major centuries in the same match," said Lad.
Lad amassed 704 runs in seven matches with three centuries and two half-centuries for Mumbai U-25 in 2012-13 while Patil had 688 with three tons and five fifties.
If Patil and Lad were Mumbai's main scorers, Karnataka had Ravikumar Samarth, whose Ranji career is also along similar lines, to do the job. Unbeaten on 85 at stumps on Day 2, the same score that Patil was on Friday night, the 22-year-old Samarth is approaching his maiden Ranji ton in his seventh match.
Samarth's previous highest was 75 against Mumbai in Bangalore in December 2013, the same game in which Lad had posted his previous best – 93 – before his maiden three-figure mark. "I am confident of reaching the hundred on Sunday and look to make it big and help the team's cause," said the Mysore-born right-handed Samarth.
Lad, who was on 94 overnight, reached 100 in quick time, partly helped by rival captain R Vinay Kumar's four overthrows in his follow-through before a flick off the same bowler to mid-wicket fence took him to the landmark. "I was a bit nervous overnight but spoke with Wasimbhai (Jaffer) and that gave me the confidence," said Lad.
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