Shillong, Oct 14: Services defeated Meghalaya by an innings and 65 runs in their opening match of the Ranji Trophy 2024-25 on Monday.
Meghalaya are playing in Elite Group A after their impressive run in the Plate Group last season where they were runners-up to Hyderabad. This is not the first time that Meghalaya has qualified for an Elite Group, but their previous foray was in 2021-22 when the season was curtailed due to the Covid-19 pandemic and they only played three games.
This time a full season is on the cards, with Meghalaya one of eight teams in Group A, the others being Services, Baroda, Jammu and Kashmir, Maharashtra, Odisha, Tripura and Mumbai.
The match against Services began on Friday in New Delhi with Meghalaya winning the toss and opting to field. Meghalaya did well in the bowling department but two Services batters managed to settle in and get to their centuries, thus propelling the hosts to 402 all out. Meghalaya were then dismissed in their first innings for 233 before being made to follow on and then bowled out for 104.
Services were reduced to 112/3 and lost their last six wickets for 78 runs but the hugely successful partnership between Ravi Chauhan (113) and Rajat Paliwal (107) propelled the armed forces side forwards to a big total.
Aryan Borah impressed with his left-arm orthodox spin, taking 4/90 in 34 overs, while guest professional Ajay Duhan scalped 3/11 in 7.4, Dippu Sangma 2/56 in 23 and Akash Kumar Choudhary 1/93 in 29.
In response, Meghalaya lost five early wickets for 44 on the board, with captain Kishan Lyngdoh providing a few fireworks in a quick 25 from 27. Guest professionals Sumit Kumar (87) and Anirudh B (69) then put 138 to steady the ship and Akash added a welcome 23 not out down the order for Meghalaya to be dismissed for 233, trailing by 169.
Made to follow on, Meghalaya were unable to offer much resistance, though they did take the game into a fourth day before being kept down to 104/9, with Dippu having to retire hurt through injury.
Meghalaya will return home now to take on Tripura from 18 October. Tripura’s first match was against Odisha in Agartala but this was abandoned without a ball bowled and each side was awarded 1 point.
