A confident Mumbai will be bolstered by the return of batsman Siddhesh Lad when they face Madhya Pradesh in the Ranji Trophy Group 'A' match at Raipur today
Siddhesh Lad
A confident Mumbai will be bolstered by the return of batsman Siddhesh Lad when they face Madhya Pradesh in the Ranji Trophy Group 'A' match at Raipur today. Lad (23), who missed out on Mumbai's first two games (against Tamil Nadu and Baroda) due to a back injury, is eager to get back to scoring runs.
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"I had two good batting sessions here (Raipur). I am fully fit now and I am expecting good bounce in the pitch. I want to play my natural game against MP. I have already scored two half-centuries against them so I want to take that confidence into this match," said Lad, who scored an unbeaten ton against New Zealand in Delhi last month.
Mumbai toppers in Group A
Mumbai kicked off this season with a fighting two-wicket win over Tamil Nadu in Lahli, but had to be content with a first innings lead against Baroda in Delhi. After two rounds, the defending champions Mumbai are leading the group with nine points, while MP and Punjab, both with seven points, share the second position.
The 41-time Ranji champions will rely heavily on the batting of Akhil Herwadkar, Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, Jay Bista and skipper Aditya Tare, all of whom have registered high scores in their previous match against Baroda. In the absence of pacer Dhawal Kulkarni (away on national duty), the bowling department will be manned by Shardul Thakur and Balvinder Singh Sandhu (Jr). Experienced all-rounder Abhishek Nayar will have to shoulder responsibilities both with bat and ball.
MP to miss Naman Ojha
Meanwhile, Madhya Pradesh will have to do without their experienced wicket-keeper-batsman Naman Ojha, who is nursing a side strain. "I badly wanted to play against Mumbai, but it is not possible because of my side strain. I am at the National Cricket Academy (in Bangalore) and I am undergoing rehab," Ojha, who revealed he will be back in the squad after two weeks, said from Bangalore.
Courtesy Harpreet Singh's unbeaten 216-run knock and the combined bowling efforts from pacers Ishwar Pandey, Gaurav Yadav and Chandrakant Sakure, Madhya Pradesh managed to defeat Uttar Pradesh by an innings and 64 runs in Hyderabad.
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