Vijayawada, Nov 5: Meghalaya beat Sikkim by 6 wickets to register its second win in as many games in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament here at the Mulapadu cricket stadium. With the win, Meghalaya maintained its unbeaten run against Sikkim in BCCI tournaments.
Meghalaya won the toss and elected to field first. Meghalaya bowlers continued their dominant form and started well. Ram Gurung (1/18 in four overs) started the proceedings for Meghalaya when he trapped Karthik CA (27 runs in 23 balls) leg-before to claim his maiden wicket in domestic cricket.
The very next over left arm spinner Anish Charak (1/20 in four overs) got the wicket of the other Sikkim opener.
Star pacer Akash Choudhary, with career best figures of 3/19, was the standout performer for Meghalaya. “I had a good day on the field and that boosted my confidence while bowling. I bowled according to the plans and utilised the big boundaries,” said Akash while talking exclusively to The Shillong Times.
“The wicket today was a little difficult. It was damp in the morning, and so the ball was stopping a little. As a bowling unit we assed the conditions well and stuck to our plans,” he added.
Pacers Chengkam Sangma (2/17) and Kilco Marak (2/37) helped restrict Sikkim to 112 in the stipulated 20 overs.
In the batting, Meghalaya openers Chirag Khurana (26 off 23) and Kishan Lyngdoh (22 off 16) again provided a scintillating start – knocking off 40 runs in the first four overs.
A piece of brilliance in the field by Sikkim’s Lee Yong Lepcha caused a misunderstanding between the Meghalaya openers resulting in Lyngdoh being run-out.
Meghalaya suffered a mini batting collapse thereafter, with skipper Punit Bisht (6 off 6), Khurana and Rohit Shah (2 off 8) falling in quick succession.
Sikkim mounted on the pressure, but Ravi Teja (31 off 30) and Lerry Gomes Sangma (25 off 26) took control of the situation and ensured that Meghalaya crossed the finish line.
“When three quick wickets fell, I started to feel the pressure a little,” quipped Teja.
“Our bowlers bowled great lines today and helped restrict Sikkim for a small total, and also the openers gave us a brilliant start, which ensured that the pressure was not too much on us,” said Teja.
“I approached the game like it was a One-day game and not a T20. Preserving wickets were important at that stage,” he went on to add.
Meghalaya next face Vidarbha on Saturday.
Also, Meghalaya women had defeated Jammu & Kashmir by 51 runs on Thursday in their Women’s Senior One Day Trophy match in Kolkata. Vaincy Chaudhury (84) and Rajni Lodhi (60) were the top-scorers
as Meghalaya posted 209/6 before restricting Jammu & Kashmir to 158 for the loss of seven wickets.
