Shillong, Oct 15: Kevin Christopher struck a half-century and Abhishek Kumar took four wickets but Meghalaya still lost to Punjab by an innings and 129 runs in their first match of the U-23 men’s Col CK Nayudu Trophy 2024-25.

The match began on Sunday with Meghalaya winning the toss against hosts Punjab and opting to field first.

Abhishek opened the bowling and claimed 4/71 in 23.2 overs as Punjab were all out for 313. All five Meghalaya bowlers actually took wickets, with Manish Sharma bagging 3/72 in 31 overs, PM Santhosh 1/46 in 12, Purav Agarwal 1/46 in 11 and Navin Kr Ray 1/60 in 16.

Meghalaya did not have a good time in their first innings and were bundled out for 77, with Navin’s 19 being the top score. However, after being made to follow-on, Kevin went on to play a delightful knock, hitting 52 from 69 balls, including 6 fours and 3 sixes. His team, though, were still all out for only 107, giving Punjab victory with two days to spare.

Meghalaya will next face Andhra Pradesh from 20 October.

At the same time The Vice-President of the Meghalaya Cricket Association, Rayonald Kharkamni, has been appointed as a BCCI Match Observer for the third Test match between India and New Zealand in Mumbai, which begins on 1 November.

Kharkamni is also President of the Ri-Bhoi District Cricket Association and has been greatly involved in the promotion of cricket in the district and state for several years.

Match Observers prepare official reports regarding the venues, umpires, players, etc.

New Zealand’s tour of India begins with the first Test in Bengaluru on Wednesday, followed by the second Test from 24 October in Pune and the third from 1 November in Mumbai.