SHILLONG, Jan 13: Meghalaya came back strongly from their opening day loss to beat Mizoram by whopping 130-runs in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament in Chennai.
Put in to bat by KB Pawan, the Mizoram skipper, Meghalaya had a cautious start, before losing two quick wickets in the power play. It was then left to opener Yogesh Tiwari and skipper Punit Bisht to steady the Meghalaya innings.
They did more than that. In fact, Bisht went berserk and ended the innings unbeaten on 146 off just 51 balls. Tiwari on the other hand scored a half century. Tiwari and Bisht hit six boundaries each, but the latter hit 17 sixes compared to Tiwari’s two.
Bisht, who previously played for Delhi, belted the ball all round the Guru Nanak College ground and reached his half-century in 26 balls. He went on the overdrive and hammered 94 runs in the next 25 balls he faced as sixes flew all over the ground and Meghalaya piled up 230 for 6 in 20 overs.
Speaking to The Shillong Times, Bisht said, “I was not thinking about scoring a century. As a professional player and as the captain all I could think about was posting a good total on the board.”
In response, Mizoram could score only 100-runs in their stipulated overs. Left arm spinner Aditya Singhania was the pick of the bowler for Meghalaya and with figures of 4/15. Singhania also took a catch of Akash Choudhary’s bowling to remove the former India U-19 star Taruwar Kohli.
The 146-runs innings by Bisht is the highest score ever by a Meghalaya cricketer in Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy and it is the second highest individual score ever in the history of the tournament. “I am really happy with my innings. It was just one of those days when things clicked everything just works for you,” said Bisht about his innings.
I would like to thank the Meghalaya Cricket Association for the wonderful opportunity they have given me in allowing me to represent the State. I hope I continue to do the best for the team,” added Bisht.
Meghalaya will take on Bihar in their next match on Friday.
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