Meghalaya face uphill battle after follow-on against Tripura in Ranji Trophy opener

Meghalaya will need to draw on all their batting strength to save their Ranji Trophy 2024-25 Elite Group A match, as they were forced to follow on by Tripura on the third day at the MCA Ground. Tripura declared their first innings on 377/8 after resuming at 346/6, gaining a 155-run lead before bundling out Meghalaya for 222.

At stumps, Meghalaya were 3/0 in their second innings, trailing by 152 runs, with a draw looking like their best chance if they can bat through the final day.

Guest professional Ajay Duhan stood firm as the backbone of Meghalaya’s innings, scoring an unbeaten 93 off 198 balls. Coming in at No. 3, Duhan held the innings together with 13 boundaries and a six, bringing up his fifty with a hook shot over fine leg. Despite being dropped on 85, he batted calmly with the tail to try and avoid the follow-on.

Several local players got starts but couldn’t convert them into big scores. Bamanbha Shangpliang contributed 23 at the top, while Kishan Lyngdoh hit a quick-fire 21 off 15 balls. Tripura’s pacer MB Mura Singh was the standout bowler, taking 6/52 in 26.4 overs, wrecking Meghalaya’s middle order. Akash Kumar Choudhary added a valuable 23 in a 49-run partnership with Duhan for the seventh wicket.

Meghalaya faced a brief session in their second innings, but bad light ended play early. The openers will have a tough task today as they try to salvage a draw.