Shillong, Jan 28: In a gripping encounter at the Ranji Trophy plate group match in Anand, Gujarat, Raj Biswa showcased his prowess with a splendid century, yet Meghalaya found themselves trailing behind Mizoram’s first innings total. Despite Raj’s stellar performance, Meghalaya was bowled out for 281 in response to Mizoram’s 359/10.
As the day concluded, Mizoram stood at 237/9, establishing a commanding lead of 315 runs as they approach the final day of the competition.
Starting the day at 94 not out, Raj Biswa efficiently added the six runs required to secure his third first-class century. However, the early dismissal of his partner, Ram Gurung (35 from 80 balls), and a swift collapse of the tail end hindered Meghalaya’s progress. Despite the challenges, Raj exhibited remarkable resilience, carrying his bat through the innings and concluding at an unbeaten 125. His stellar innings spanned 283 deliveries, featuring 12 fours and one six.
With a comfortable lead from their first innings, Mizoram aggressively pursued runs, and guest player Agni Chopra once again proved instrumental with a second consecutive century. Chopra notched up 101 runs in just 71 deliveries, comprising an impressive tally of 16 fours and one six. Notably, he had contributed a century (105) in Mizoram’s first innings as well.
The bowling highlight for Meghalaya came from Akash Kumar Choudhary, who claimed 4/52 in 20 overs. Combining with his first-innings figures of 4/79, Choudhary secured match stats of 8/131, reaffirming his consistency and effectiveness with the ball.
The remaining four wickets for Meghalaya were distributed among Lerry Sangma, who secured 2/8 in 2 overs, and Swarajeet Das, contributing 2/49 in 12 overs.
s the teams gear up for the final day, Meghalaya faces an uphill battle to overcome Mizoram’s substantial lead. The match promises an exciting culmination, with both sides vying for supremacy in this Ranji Trophy clash.
Elsewhere, Stung by scathing criticism, skipper Himmat Singh pulled a beleaguered Delhi from the dungeons with a counter-attacking 194 before Himanshu Chauhan’s four-wicket burst put them on cusp of an improbable victory over Uttarakhand in the Ranji Trophy here on Sunday.
Having scored 264 for nine in their second innings, Delhi had Uttarakhand on the mat at 95 for six, chasing a target of 173. Uttarakhand need to score 77 on the final day with four wickets in hand.
After being bowled out for 147 in the first innings and then conceding a first-innings lead of 92, Delhi were left stuttering at 11 for five in their second innings with five of the top six back in the pavilion without troubling the scorers.
But Himmat, considered among the top two batters in the Delhi set-up, took it upon himself, adding 182 for the sixth wicket with keeper-batter Lakshy Thareja (43, 125), who played the second fiddle to perfection.
Himmat, who was batting on 109 after the second day’s play, hit 27 fours and a six, with a lot of shots coming square of the wicket on the off-side.
After Thareja was dismissed, Himmat also added another 30 runs with Hiamnshu (16), who was lethal with the new ball once again.
