Cricket News: Siddhesh Lad speaks exclusively to PS

Persistence and perseverance pays off almost every time. Ask Siddesh Lad and he will tell you. The Mumbai lad had to wait for five years to play his first game for the franchise. Finally, the local boy got the nod in this edition of the IPL. Siddesh opened the batting against Kings XI Punjab and scored 15 in 13 balls. The 26-year-old got to play his maiden game in the IPL thanks to an injury to skipper Rohit Sharma. Incidentally, Siddesh's father Dinesh has also been Rohit's long-time coach. Siddesh was the leading run-scorer for Mumbai in the 2017–18 Ranji Trophy, with 652 runs in seven matches. Currently, Siddesh is enjoying his stint with the Mumbai Indians and will also play for the Shivaji Park Lions in the upcoming Mumbai T20 league.