Shillong, Dec 24: Meghalaya won their opening fixture of the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26 plate group by 79 runs against Mizoram in Ranchi today.
Arpit Bhatewara and Kishan Lyngdoh (pictured left and centre), who have delivered so often already for Meghalaya this season, each hit a century as Meghalaya were 291 all out in 49.5 overs after being made to bat first. Mizoram were then bowled out for 212 in 38.5 overs, with Akash Kumar Choudhury (right) bagging 6/44, including three wickets in his last over. He will be on a hat-trick the next time he bowls.
Almost equally impressive with the ball for Mizoram was their guest player Karthik CA, who took 6/49. He claimed the wickets of Arien Bonchang Sangma and Swastic Chettri to leave Meghalaya on 40/2 when Arpit (who opened the batting) was joined at the crease by Kishan.
Together they played fantastically well, hitting runs at a great clip and rotating the strike well. They had put on 205 for the third wicket and batted 34 overs together when Kishan fell to Mizoram’s other guest player, KC Cariappa (3/46). Kishan was out for 106 from 104 deliveries, which included 11 fours and one six.
Arpit fell exactly one over later to Karthik and he too had hit 11 fours and a six in an innings of 104 from 125 balls. In the pursuit of quick runs in the final few overs, Meghalaya lost wickets quickly and were bowled out off the penultimate ball of their innings.
Mizoram had several batters get decent starts but none could push on, with Thankuma’s 64 from 59 balls being the top score. All told, Mizoram went at a decent run rate and were not too far behind the required rate but Meghalaya kept chipping away with wickets.
In the 39th over, Akash was given the ball. He had already netted figures of 3/44 and proceeded to bowl the remaining three batters without conceding a run off the second, fourth and fifth deliveries. He was subsequently named Player of the Match.
Meghalaya will face Nagaland in their second match on Friday. Nagaland lost narrowly to Manipur by one wicket today. The other two teams in the plate group are Bihar and Arunachal Pradesh. Bihar thumped Arunachal by 397 runs, the second-highest margin of victory in List A cricket ever. Bihar made 574/6 and then bowled out Arunachal for 177.
(File photos)
