By Our Reporter
Vijayawada, Nov 8: Openers Kishan Lyngdoh (85 not out) and Chirag Khurana (54 not out) continued their good run as Meghalaya overwhelmed an experienced Tripura side by 10 wickets in the plate division of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy here at Mangalagiri Cricket Stadium.
Opting to bat first, after winning the toss, Tripura got off to a horrid start, with Khurana getting rid of Arkaprabha Sinha (1) in the very first over. Tripura kept losing wickets in regular interval with skipper K B Pawan top scoring with 33.
For Meghalaya, Khurana and pacer Akash Choudhary returned with figures of 2/21 and 2/24 respectively. Pacers Chengkam Sangma and Dippu Sangma picked one wicket each and helped restrict Tripura to 146 all out in 20 overs.
“The credit for today’s win goes to the bowlers, as they help restrict Tripura to below 150,” said Khurana, who along with Lyngdoh started the innings cautiously.
“The real star today, however, was Kishan (Lyngdoh). He played a gem of an innings. I just supported his inning and held my end,” said Khurana.
Meghalaya had a scare when Khurana was caught out at point while playing a shot. However, the umpire asked for a no-ball referral and found the Tripura bowler overstepping in the replay.
The openers did not give any other chance to Tripura bowlers and closed out the game comprehensively.
“I always had the belief that we can produce a match winning batting performance,” said Lyngdoh while talking exclusively to The Shillong Times. “This innings was much needed for the morale of the team, especially after our defeat against Vidarbha the other day,” added Lyngdoh.
“The win shows the true character of the team. We believe we are a champion side and today we played like one,” Meghalaya captain Punit Bisht told The Shillong Times. This, however, is not the first time that a team from Meghalaya defeated Tripura. In 1993, a Shillong based club – Shillong Town Club – upset a full-strength Tripura side in an invitational tournament. “The Tripura side we faced was a very strong team. They were playing with their full-strength, including some outstation players,” reminisced Manik Das – the captain of ’93 Shillong Town Club side.
“The victory is very memorable as we beat a side that was full of players who had played First Class cricket,” Das added.
“We saw history repeat itself today, and I am fortunate enough to be a part of this history,” Himan Phukan, who was handed a debut today, said after the win.