On November 8, Jammu and Kashmir secured a comfortable 7-wicket win against Meghalaya in their Ranji Trophy Elite Group A match at the MCA Ground, Polo. The victory came on the third day of the game, with J&K needing just an hour to chase down a modest target of 75 runs.

Jammu and Kashmir resumed play at 16/1, but faced a small scare as Meghalaya’s fast bowler Akash Kumar Choudhary took two quick wickets. Akash dismissed Ahmad Omar Banday with a catch at mid-off, and then Roshan Warbah caught Abdul Samad after the latter attempted a big shot, just a ball after smashing a massive six. Meghalaya had taken one wicket the previous day, with Dippu Sangma’s figures standing at 1/12. Despite this, J&K comfortably chased down the target.

Auqib Nabi from Jammu and Kashmir was named Player of the Match for his outstanding performance, taking 10 wickets in the match with his accurate pace bowling. His efforts were key to J&K’s victory.

For Meghalaya, although this was their fourth consecutive defeat, the match showed signs of improvement. Playing in Elite Group A against some of India’s top teams is no easy task. Meghalaya was bowled out for just 73 in their first innings on a tricky pitch after losing the toss. However, they bounced back by restricting Jammu and Kashmir to 194. In their second innings, they batted much better, putting up a score of 195.

Aryan Borah, Meghalaya’s left-arm spinner, was a standout performer. He took 5 wickets for 42 runs in J&K’s first innings – his first five-wicket haul against an Elite level team in first-class cricket. On the batting side, Arpit Bhatewara top-scored for Meghalaya in their second innings, contributing a solid 74 runs in only his second Ranji Trophy match.

Despite the result, Meghalaya’s fighting spirit and some individual standout performances show that the team is making steady progress in Elite Group A. Their ability to extend the match into the third day while defending small totals highlights their determination to compete at this level.

Meghalaya now looks ahead to their next challenge as they travel to Vadodara to face Baroda on November 13.