Siddhesh Lad had special praise for Sarfaraz Khan, whose athletic catch proved to be the turning point in Mumbai’s win over Railways in the Ranji Trophy clash on Thursday. Despite having put down an earlier chance, Sarfaraz made amends with a stunning effort, underlining why Lad considers him a ‘special fielder’.

“We have always believed that catches win matches. What Sarfaraz did was outstanding. He is a special fielder. He had dropped a catch before that, but he wanted to do something for the team, and that is what we saw,” Lad said.

Railways had threatened to take the game away with a stubborn partnership between Eshaan Goyal and Zubair Ali, but Mumbai never lost belief. The idea was to slow things down, break the opposition’s momentum and wait for an opening.

“We always felt we were just one wicket away. Sometimes, taking a break and disrupting the momentum is important,” Lad said.

The captain also credited the team’s fielding standards to the hard work put in during the off-season. “It was hot and humid throughout all four days, but the effort from the boys was special,” he said.

With four consecutive outright wins and 27 points in the bag, Mumbai’s focus now shifts to white-ball cricket. Lad, however, is keen to avoid complacency, mindful that the second half of the Ranji Trophy season will bring fresh challenges.

“We don’t want to be satisfied with what we have done in the first four games. We have a long journey ahead and want to do something special, adding to Mumbai’s legacy this season,” he said.