Ranji Trophy: Didn't put any pressure on myself, says KV Siddharth

K.V. Siddharth compiled 62 runs in challenging conditions; it felt like a turning point in the season for the 27-year-old.

It took K.V. Siddharth over three months, after suffering a shoulder tear during the Vijay Hazare Trophy, to return to action for Karnataka.

It took K.V. Siddharth over three months, after suffering a shoulder tear during the Vijay Hazare Trophy, to return to action for Karnataka. He managed scores of 0 and 19 on his comeback, against Saurashtra in Rajkot.

In the next game, against Railways, he made 4 in his only innings. On Tuesday, against Madhya Pradesh at the KSCA Navule Stadium, Siddharth edged his first ball behind, only to be reprieved because the bowler had overstepped. He went on to compile 62 runs in challenging conditions; it felt like a turning point in the season for the 27-year-old.

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"It was a much-needed knock for me, just to get that confidence and that match-feeling going," he said here on Wednesday. "I didn't put any pressure on myself. Honestly, I really forgot about the first ball. It didn't come to my mind at all throughout the day, until someone spoke about it afterwards."

Sitting out with injury was frustrating, Siddharth admitted. "It was really frustrating because I felt like I was batting my best when I got injured. It’s not easy to come back after not playing a match for almost three months. But I knew somewhere that I would do well because I had worked really hard.”

Siddharth was full of praise for K. Gowtham, who smashed a quick 82 on the second day. "When he makes it look so easy, we wonder why we struggled so much to get our runs," he laughed. "He's a gifted player. He's a special player. If not for that 82 today, we would have ended up below 400."