This Lad isn’t done yet: Siddhesh Lad shows resilience in return to Mumbai after Goa stint

Siddhesh Lad is an old warhorse, but he is still going strong. Despite featuring in 79 First-class games and 52 List A outings over his 12-year career, Lad isn’t the one to rest on his laurels.

Rather, he is always among the first to hit the nets during Mumbai’s training sessions, and after returning to his home state following a season at Goa, Lad has once again proven himself as the ‘Crisis Man’ for Mumbai cricket. Despite scoring three centuries in the Ranji Trophy, he had to warm the bench for the larger part of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. However, he is back in the team for the Vijay Hazare Trophy, and has featured in both of Mumbai’s games so far.

While Lad hopes to make every opportunity count, he does not regret his decision to move to Goa three years ago. That stint, he feels, made him stronger.

“I thought it was the need of the hour, because at that time, just one season back, I played for India A-side. And then, one season, I did not perform well, and after playing for seven-eight seasons for a team, you feel that if you are not performing, what’s the point in playing. I was 29 then, and I did not want to lose a season, so Goa was that opportunity for me,” Lad told Sportstar, adding: “I don’t regret that decision. It has made me strong. It has taught me a lot of things in life and cricket…”

READ | ‘I am 30 now and it is important I play the whole season’: Siddhesh Lad on why he shifted from Mumbai to Goa

But returning to Mumbai wasn’t easy. He had to put in the hard yards, and not lose hope. While his father, the celebrated coach Dinesh Lad, always backed him, his family was also around during times of crisis. “The sport is not only about one big effort. This sport is about being consistent a thousands of times. It only comes with how well you prepare before the season, how honest you are to yourself, and how brutal you are to yourself before the journey,” he said. “Constructive criticism is very important in this game. And there are people who you know would point out things that would otherwise go unnoticed…”

When he wanted to return to Mumbai after just one season, Lad knew that he would have to earn a spot on the team, and start from scratch again. “Frankly, it was very difficult for me to come back again, and go through that grind because after playing for 10-12 years, you know how tough it is to go back to the drawing board again and perform,” he said.

But he accepted the challenge, played local cricket, and cut out the noise.

He remembers his conversation with Mumbai head coach Omkar Salvi, who told him that if he keeps performing at the domestic level, the doors might open again. “That gave me some sort of hope, and I am grateful to the MCA that they have always been supportive,” Lad said. But it was easier said than done. At 30, when most of his contemporaries were either thinking about hanging up their boots, or expanding their careers, Lad was back at the maidans (grounds), hoping to prove a point.

“I made up my mind that I have to go through the grind again at the age of 30,” Lad said with a smile. So, he attended a 15-day camp at the BKC ground and played in the Buchi Babu Invitational tournament in Chennai in order to prove his mettle.

Some space eventually opened up. With Musheer Khan ruled out for the season after a car accident, there was a slot available for No. 3, as the then Mumbai captain, Ajinkya Rahane, was batting at No. 4. “So, I could come into the team and perform, and, eventually, make my place again in the team,” he said.

Once he broke into the team, Lad proved a point by scoring 602 runs in the 2024-25 season of the Ranji Trophy. And, he has not looked back since. With Rahane moving on from captaincy, Lad was appointed vice-captain this season, while Shardul Thakur was made the skipper.

While the new responsibility has helped him groom young talents, Lad has also realised that hard work has no substitute. Not long ago, he wanted to quit everything, but with his wife Hiral as his constant support, Lad could sail through.

After shifting from Goa, he had to undergo the mandatory one-year cooling off before returning to Mumbai again. Around that time, Lad made friends in the fashion industry, some of whom were colleagues of Hiral’s. “I’m always keen to know what goes behind fashion, how the clothes are made, how things work, and the business side of fashion. I’ve got a lot of friends who are not aware of any cricket players also. So, these are the types of people I like to hang out with,” he said.

“Because if you see a lot of cricket players, or any sport in that case, they only know things about cricket. I won’t blame them for that. But I’m very proud that I know a lot of things other than cricket, how things work outside cricket, in real life, you know, because I know the reality…”

Interacting with people from different walks of life changed his perspective on the game and life in general. Those conversations taught him that it’s alright to fail, but it’s equally important to take things in stride and rise again.

Those friends helped him introspect, instilled self-belief, and also made him realise that ‘this Lad isn’t done yet’!

Published on Dec 27, 2025