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Young guns take position

Mumbai batsmen Lad and Patil share unbeaten 175-run partnership for 6th wicket to guide their team from 167/5 to 342/5 against Karnataka on Day 1

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Mumbai’s Siddesh Lad raises his bat after scoring his half century against Karnataka at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Friday (Right) Mumbai’s Nikhil Patel guides one on the leg
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Two young batsmen rose to the occasion for the struggling Mumbai side. Both are yet to establish themselves in the team, which is going through a transition phase. Going by the way they applied themselves on Friday, the duo could well be the future of the side's batting that is seeking to restore its lost pride.

On a pitch that's settling down into a good batting surface, Sidhesh Lad and Nikhil Patil are both approaching their maiden first-class century. Joining hands at 167/5 about an hour post lunch, they batted through the rest of the day ensuring that the lowed order is not exposed. They shared an unbroken 175-run stand for the sixth wicket to put their team in good position.

At stumps on Day 1, Mumbai were 342/5 at the Wankhede after captain Aditya Tare won the toss and chose to bat on a pitch that was dry and shorn of any grass.

Lad on 94 (164 minutes, 119 balls, 18x4) and Patil on 85 (153m, 129b, 11x4, 2x6), will resume on Saturday with their maiden first-class centuries looking imminent. The duo made the most of the perfect batting conditions even as Karnataka captain R Vinay Kumar rotated his bowlers.

Twenty two-year-old Lad is known for his consistent heavy scores in age-group tournaments. He has shown glimpses of his talent — scoring five half-centuries — in the 10 Ranji matches he has played since his debut in November 2013. On Friday, he began confidently, first dealing in boundaries and rubbing in that confidence onto Patil, who is playing his third Ranji game.

Lad was lucky twice. On 13, his edge off Vinay went through first slip Manish Pandey's hands, and on 55, R Samarth floored a chance at gully off Abhimanyu Mithun just when he was beginning set to play freely.

There were no such close moments for 25-year-old Patil, who stepped out at will to spinners Udit Patel and Shreyas Gopal while picking up Aravind and Vinay for a low flat six each over long on.

The Patil and Lad stand was only bound to happen as there was nothing for the bowlers in the pitch.

Till the duo arrived at the crease, Karnataka dominated the proceedings and had Mumbai in a spot at 167/5. On a surface that was not the typical Wankhede wicket, which usually assists pace early on, there was little help for the speedsters.

Vinay dismissed opener Shrideep Mangela in the first over, courtesy a late away-movement that took the left-hander's edge and went low to first slip Robin Uthappa. In the first over of his second spell, visiting captain struck again, dismissing Mumbai's highest run-getter this season, Shreyas Iyer, who niced one to the 'keeper.

Tare, who scored a match-winning century against Baroda last week in his first match as captain, punished the medium-pacers at will. He raced to his 50 with 11 boundaries and feasted on the spinners Patel and Gopal, pouncing quickly on their frequent short deliveries. However, leg-spinner Gopal had the last laugh as he induced Tare to cut straight to backward point. Tare shared a useful 75 for the third wicket with the comeback man Abhishek Nayar.

Nayar was content at occupying the crease in the company of Suryakumar Yadav. There was a dull passage of play post lunch as only 18 runs were scored from 12 overs before Karnataka off-spinner Patel picked up two quick wickets.

It was rather mistakes by the batsmen that turned things in Karnataka's favour. Yadav tried to sweep a straight one from Patel only to miss and was trapped leg before while Nayar pushed him straight to short covers.
Karnataka had the ammunition but there was not much help from the pitch. Even left-arm medium-pacer Sreenath Aravind sent down a couple of overs of left-arm spin but with little success.

Mumbai may well be on their way to a tall score, like they desired, and apply pressure on Karnataka, whose batting look strong even in the absence of KL Rahul, who has been rested for this game following his epic triple century last week so that he is fresh for the knockouts.

SCOREBOARD:
Mumbai (1st innings): S Mangela c Uthappa b Kumar 4, A Tare c Samarth b Gopal 72, S Iyer c Gautam b Kumar 20, A Nayar c Pandey b Patel 36, S Yadav lbw b Patel 19, S Lad batting 94, N Patil batting 85, Extras (B6, LB5, W1) 12
Total (for 5 wkts, 90 overs) 342
Fall of wickets: 1-4 (Mangela), 2-53 (Iyer), 3-128 (Tare), 4-158 (Yadav), 5-167 (Nayar)
Bowling: R Vinay Kumar 17-4-65-2, A Mithun 15-5-52-0, S Gopal 14-1-71-1, S Aravind 21-2-73-0, U Patel 22-1-68-2, R Samarth 1-0-2-0.

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