CK Nayudu Trophy
By Our Reporter
Shillong, Jan 30: In a stunning turnaround, Meghalaya finds itself on the brink of an inspiring victory against Arunachal Pradesh in the U-23 men’s Col CK Nayudu Trophy, with the fourth and final day scheduled for Wednesday.
Swastic Chettri deserves immense credit for this remarkable feat, concluding Meghalaya’s second innings at an unbeaten 190, leading the team to a total of 368. Setting Arunachal a target of 348, the opposition stumbled to 89/6 by stumps, requiring 259 more for victory.
To recap the journey, Meghalaya faced a setback on the first day, being dismissed for 203.
Subsequently, Arunachal seized a first-innings lead of 21, dismissing Meghalaya for 224.
The pivotal day commenced with Meghalaya at 208/6, with Swastic at 95. Swiftly reaching his century, Swastic continued with greater fluidity.
Special mention must be made of tailender Bipin Kumar Ray, who resiliently partnered with the established batter, contributing runs and achieving a milestone of his own with a dismissal at 53 (4x4s, 1×6).
Their partnership of 125 for the seventh wicket was a noteworthy recovery after Meghalaya found themselves at 100/5 the previous day, showcasing the maturity of both Swastic and Bipin.
A brisk attempt at a single led to Bipin’s run-out, prompting Swastic, who exhibited remarkable form, to accelerate as he ran out of partners.
Though falling short of a double ton, Swastic’s extraordinary innings, spanning 261 deliveries and featuring 33 fours, will be etched in memory.
Arunachal, determined to resist Meghalaya’s onslaught, entered the chase with a positive mindset.
However, Abhishek Kumar dealt a blow, securing two wickets in his second over and claiming another before the day’s end, finishing with figures of 3/23 in 13 overs.
Apart from a 56-run fifth-wicket partnership, Arunachal struggled against Meghalaya’s bowling attack. Contributions from Manish Sharma (1/9 in 3 overs), Bipin (1/14 in 4), and Sudhir Sahani (1/31 in 11) ensured Meghalaya dismissed six batters in total.
The team is poised to clinch victory as they aim to wrap up proceedings swiftly on Wednesday.
The Colonel C.K. Nayudu Trophy is a domestic cricket championship played in India between under-23 teams representing various state and regional cricket associations. It is organized by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and is named after India’s first Test cricket captain, C.K. Nayudu. Each match is played over four-days. Over its history, it has been played with various age-limits including under-22, under-23, under-25. The current champions are Gujarat who defeated Mumbai in the 2023 final.
The tournament was first played in 1973-74 as the “Junior Tournament of India for the Colonel Nayudu Trophy”.
The trophy was donated by the Bombay Cricket Association from the funds collected to perpetuate the memory of Nayudu.
Until 2003-04 season, the tournament was played in zonal format. From 2014-15 season onwards, BCCI lowered the age-limit for the tournament from 25 to 23 and restricted the number of Ranji Trophy cricketers in the playing XI to only three.