Published: January 22, 2026 at 8:49 pm
Hyderabad selectors wanted to infuse a new spirit in the team and changed the skipper G Rahul and replaced him with India pacer Mohd Siraj. They also blooded two players in the form of P Aman Rao and Nitin Sai Yadav, both of them were with the Under-23 team. But the first day’s honours, expectedly, went to 41-times Ranji Trophy champions Mumbai. The visitors ground the Hyderabad attack to the dust on way to 332 for four by stumps on the first day of their four-day Ranji Trophy match at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Uppal on Thursday.
It was an auspicious start to Siraj’s captaincy as the India player won the toss and promptly asked Mumbai to bat first on a wicket, which looked like aiding the pacers. Barring the first session of play where the honours were shared, the rest of the day, however, belonged to the Mumbai batters especially skipper Siddhesh Lad and Sarfaraz Khan, who struck contrasting centuries but were effective in their own ways.
Openers Akhil Herwadkar and Akash Anand defied the Hyderabad pacers on way to a 60-run partnership before Akhil (27) was caught by Nitish Reddy off Rohit Rayudu. The first wicket partnership yielded 60 off 142 balls with Herwadkar scoring 27 (71) and Akash getting 32 (71). Akash (25) fell soon after that as he was caught by Himateja off Siraj to leave Mumbai at 66 for two. Musheer Khan (11) too did not last long as he was trapped leg before by debutant Nitin. After tasting early success, the Hyderabad tails were up and flying but they hadn’t contented with Lad and Sarfaraz.
Lad belongs to the old school of Mumbai batting, which is known for grinding its opposition to the dust. For them, the best form of offense is defense, and Lad personifies that school’s philosophy. The skipper was in no hurry to push the scoring; he was more content in tiring out the bowlers and he did it with great success.
On the other hand, Sarfaraz believes aggression is the best way to tackle any opposition. The stockily built run-machine has been scoring runs by the tons for Mumbai in the last few years, and it was no different on Thursday as he took on the Hyderabad bowlers, neither the pacers nor the spinners made any impression on him.
With the wicket drying out, Lad and Sarfaraz took a heavy toll on the host’s bowling attack. In their own contrasting ways, they laid bare the Hyderabad attack. They went on and on and on and the Hyderabad camp did not know how to stop the duo. Nothing that skipper Siraj tried came off as the Mumbai batters were keen in not giving up their hard-earned advantage.
Lad and Sarfaraz teased and tormented Hyderabad bowlers for 54 overs
For 54 overs, the Mumbaikars teased and tormented the Hyderabad bowlers and fielders. There seemed to be no respite and Hyderabad looked destined for another torrid day on the morrow. However, when everything was going against them, Hyderabad made the much-needed breakthrough when Rayudu trapped Lad leg before to the delight of his teammates. Lad fell after making a solid 104 which came off 179 balls and contained 10 fours and two sixes. The fourth wicket partnership was worth its weight in gold, 249 off 328 balls with Sarfaraz hitting 141 of those in 163 balls and Lad making a solid 96 off 165 balls.
But with Sarfaraz going strong on 142, Hyderabad’s woes on the field are far from over. The Mumbaikar is known to score big hundreds and is looking good for many more on Friday. Sarfaraz’s 142 came off 164 balls with 11 fours and five sixes. The other not out bat was Himanshu Singh who faced seven balls but is yet to open his account.
Off-spinner Rohit Rayudu bagged two of the four wickets to fall, while the other two were shared by Siraj and Nitin Sai Yadav.
SCOREBOARD
Mumbai: A Herwadkar c Nitish Reddy b Rayudu 27, Akash Anand c Himateja b Siraj 25, Musheer Khan lbw Yadav 11, Siddhesh Lad lbw Rayudu 104, Sarfaraz Khan (batting) 142, Himanshu Singh (batting) 0; Extras: (NB5, W2, B4, LB2) 13. Total: (For four wickets in 87 overs) 332.
Fall of wickets: 1-60, 2-66, 3-82, 4-331.
Bowling: Mohammed Siraj 19-3-77-1, CV Milind 15-0-49-0, Rakshann Readdi 12-1-34-0, Rohit Rayudu 21-3-66-2, Nitin Sai Yadav 20-0-100-1.
