Image: Manipur secured a dominant innings victory over Arunachal Pradesh / © ESPNcricinfo
During the third day of the Ranji Trophy Plate Group match between Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh at Narendra Modi Stadium B Ground in Motera Ahmedabad the game reached its climax on November 3 2025. Manipur had declared their first innings at 505 for 3 and forced Arunachal to follow on after bundling them out for 247. Arunachal needed to bat out the day and score 258 more runs to make Manipur bat again but the task looked impossible from the start.
The morning session began at 9.30 AM with clear skies and a pitch that had started to show some wear after two days of play. Bishworjit Konthoujam the Manipur captain, opened the bowling and struck immediately. He bowled a tight line and got Abhishek Pujari to edge one to L Kishan Singha at slip in the first over. Pujari faced only five balls and scored zero. Arunachal were 1 for 1 after just 0.6 overs.
Arjun Sakrola joined Licha Jhon at the crease. Both openers tried to play carefully but the pressure was huge. Konthoujam bowled another good over and in the third over he got Jhon caught at second slip by Karnajit Yumnam. Jhon also scored zero and Arunachal lost their second wicket for just 1 run. The scoreboard read 1 for 2 after 2.4 overs. Neelam Obi the Arunachal captain walked in next. He looked calm and tried to build a partnership with Sakrola. Sakrola played a few defensive shots and managed to get off the mark with a single. Obi hit a nice cover drive for four off Pheiroijam Jotin who shared the new ball. The pair added 18 runs slowly but Manipur kept the field tight with three slips and a gully.
Rex Rajkumar came on as first change and bowled a sharp spell. In the 11th over he trapped Sakrola lbw with a ball that came back in. Sakrola scored 10 off 28 balls with one four. His debut ended early and Arunachal were 19 for 3. Obi continued to bat well and hit another boundary through midwicket. Techi Neri joined him and the two batsmen tried to settle down. They rotated the strike and avoided risks. By the 15th over the score moved to 30 for 3. Manipur brought spin into the attack with L Kishan Singha but the seamers stayed on. Konthoujam returned and bowled a beauty to Obi in the 18th over. The ball pitched on off stump and went straight to hit the stumps. Obi made 28 off 45 balls with four boundaries. His knock gave some hope but the score was now 55 for 4.
Kamsha Yangfo, the wicketkeeper, walked in at number six. He and Neri put together the best stand of the innings. They added 36 runs for the fifth wicket. Neri looked the better batter and played some confident shots. He pulled Rajkumar for four and drove Priyojam Kangabam straight for another boundary. Yangfo played second fiddle and defended solidly. He clipped a ball off his pads for four and kept the scoreboard moving. The partnership lasted until the 29th over when Kishan Singha got one to turn and bounce. Neri played for the spin but the ball went straight and hit the off stump. He scored 37 off 69 balls with seven fours. It was the highest score of the innings so far and Arunachal reached 91 for 5.
Yangfo tried to carry on but Jotin bowled a perfect yorker in the next over. The ball swung in late and crashed into the base of the middle stump. Yangfo made 20 off 38 balls and the score slipped to 99 for 6. Myendung Singpho came in next and faced a fired up Manipur attack. Jotin bowled another good delivery that nipped back and bowled Singpho through the gate. He scored only 2 off 14 balls. Arunachal were now 104 for 7 and the tail was exposed. Nabam Natung and Yab Niya tried to hang around. Natung showed some fight and hit a boundary off Kishan Singha. He scored 11 off 25 balls. Niya struggled and managed just 5 off 10 balls. Konthoujam came back and got Niya caught at slip by Yumnam again. The score was 109 for 8 after 35.5 overs.
Yorjum Sera joined Natung and the two added 16 runs for the ninth wicket. Sera played very defensively and left many balls outside off. Natung tried to attack but Kishan Singha bowled a quick arm ball that went through his defense. Natung was bowled for 11 and Arunachal were 125 for 9. Darge Bagra came in as the last man. He played positively and hit a four through covers off Rajkumar. Sera blocked everything at the other end. The pair added 14 runs but the end came quickly. Naesh Hussain bowled just three balls in the 48th over and trapped Bagra lbw. Bagra scored 10 off 18 balls and Sera remained not out on 9 off 38 balls. Arunachal were all out for 139 in 48.3 overs with a run rate of 2.86.
Manipur won by an innings and 119 runs. Their bowlers shared the wickets well. Konthoujam took 4 for 27 in 15 overs. Jotin picked 2 for 20 in 13 overs. Kishan Singha got 2 for 32 in 8 overs. Rajkumar took 1 for 40 in 8 overs. Priyojit bowled 4 overs for 13 runs without a wicket. Hussain took the last wicket with his only three balls. The fielding was sharp with catches at slip and good ground fielding. Karnajit Yumnam won the Player of the Match award for his 146 in the first innings. Manipur earned 7 points and moved to 21 points in the Plate Group. They lead with a quotient of 2.282. Arunachal stayed on zero points with a quotient of 0.229.
In the first innings Arunachal made 247. Licha Jhon top scored with 59. Myendung Singpho made 77. Others failed to reach 40. Manipur bowlers took wickets regularly. Jotin took 3 for 56. Konthoujam got 4 for 41. Rajkumar took 2 for 35. Kishan Singha and Naesh Hussain took one each. The follow on was enforced and the second innings collapsed faster. The pitch helped the seamers with movement and bounce. Spin came into play later and Kishan Singha used it well.
Debutants for Arunachal struggled. Pujari scored 6 and 0. Sakrola made 0 and 10. Bagra got 0 not out and 10. Natung scored 6 and 11. They learned tough lessons against a strong Manipur side. Obi tried hard as captain but could not save the game. Neri showed promise with 33 and 37. Yangfo kept well and scored 29 and 20. The team needs more experience to compete in the Ranji Trophy.
Manipur played as a unit. Their captain led from the front with the ball and in the field. The bowlers stuck to plans and did not give easy runs. Fielders backed them with good catches. Yumnam took two catches at slip. Kishan Singha took one. Longjam took two in the covers.
Day three action lasted about five hours including breaks. Lunch came after the first session with Arunachal at 55 for 4. Tea was taken around 91 for 5. The match finished soon after tea. Manipur players left happy and ready for the next game. The Arunachal team will analyze mistakes and train harder. Cricket teaches patience and this match was a big lesson for them.
The Plate Group table looks strong for Manipur. Mizoram has 8 points. Bihar has 18. Meghalaya and Sikkim have wins too. Arunachal needs points soon to stay in contention. Every match counts in the Ranji Trophy. Teams play for pride and promotion. Manipur aims for the top spot and possible Elite entry next season. Their performance so far is impressive with three wins in three games.
With 4 wickets to his name, Bishworjit Konthoujam stole the spotlight in TCNI’s masterful bowling display against Arunachal Pradesh’s second innings. The lanky pacer was a nightmare for the batsmen, conceding just 27 runs off a marathon 15 overs, including a whopping 6 maidens, that kept Arunachal’s scoring rate strangled at a meager 2.86. His economy of 1.80 spoke volumes about his control, mixing seam movement with relentless accuracy to bundle out the opposition for a paltry 139 in 48.3 overs.
Konthoujam struck early, snaring opener Abhishek Pujari for a golden duck at 0.6 overs, leaving Arunachal reeling at 1-1. He doubled down by dismissing Licha Jhon soon after, at 2.4 overs, as the score stayed frozen at 1-2. The real damage came later as captain Neelam Obi, who had clawed to 28 off 45 balls, fell at 18.1 overs, triggering a slide to 55-4. Finally, tail-ender Yab Niya’s gritty 5 was cut short at 35.5 overs, pushing Arunachal to 109-8.
For the second day of this gripping Ranji Trophy clash, Pheiroijam Jotin emerged as TCNI’s undisputed Hero of the Day, his masterful bowling turning the tide against a resilient Arunachal Pradesh side forced to follow on. With the hosts eyeing a crucial first-innings lead, Jotin stepped up on a pitch offering just a hint of turn, delivering a spellbinding performance that left batsmen scratching their heads.
In his marathon 13-over stint, the young spinner was a picture of control, conceding just 20 runs while snaring two vital wickets at an astonishing economy rate of 1.53. His victims included key threats like Neelam Obi (28) and Techi Neri (37), whose dismissals triggered a middle-order wobble, reducing the visitors to 91 for five by the 30th over.