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DIMAPUR — Jonathan Rongsen Longkumer, the captain and all-rounder for the Nagaland senior men's cricket team, has made history as the first Naga cricketer as well as the first from the North East Zone to reach 2000 runs in first-class cricket. He is also the first Naga cricketer to score a century in first-class cricket.
The North East Zone includes Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Sikkim.
This milestone was achieved at the ongoing Ranji Trophy Plate group match played against Sikkim on January 26, with Nagaland winning the match by seven wickets.
The match was played at the Sikkim Cricket Association Ground (SICA) in Rangpo, where Sikkim won the toss and decided to bat first.
Sikkim scored 173 runs in the first inning, all out in 69.1 overs, with Palzor Tamang leading the way with 57 runs and Ashish Thapa contributing 25 runs to the team total. Rongsen stood out as the leading wicket-taker, taking five in the first innings.
Nagaland scored 190 runs, losing all of their wickets in 62.5 overs during the first innings, to take a 17-run lead. Sikkim scored 138 runs in the second innings, all out in 65 overs, and Nagaland’s Khrievitso Kense was named Man of the Match for his outstanding performance, which included 8 wickets (8/46) during the match.
While chasing the 122-run target, Nagaland's opening batsman Joshua Ozukum scored a half-century, while Yugandhar Singh contributed 33 runs. Eventually, Sedezhalie Rupero and Jaganath Sinivas successfully chased down the target in 38.5 overs, losing only three wickets and winning by seven.
In the Ranji Trophy Plate league points table, Nagaland stands in 5th position with two losses, one draw, and one win, while Hyderabad dominates the points table in the Plate group, having secured 28 points from four consecutive victories. Mizoram is close behind with 15 points, Meghalaya has 14 points, Sikkim has 13 points, Nagaland has 7 points, and Arunachal Pradesh is at the bottom with no wins in four matches.
Nagaland needs a victory in the upcoming league's final match against Arunachal Pradesh, scheduled for February 2 at Nagaland Cricket Ground, Sovima, to secure a spot in the semi-finals. Simultaneously, Sikkim must face defeat in their final league match against Meghalaya for Nagaland to advance to the semi-final stage.
The 2023-24 Ranji Trophy tournaments have been split into two categories - Elite and Plate Group, and in the current format, the Ranji Trophy would include two winners, one from the Elite group and one from the Plate group. The 32 elite teams will be divided into four groups of eight teams. Meanwhile, the only plate group will consist of six teams.