Staff Reporter
ITANAGAR, 16 Oct: The Arunachal Test Championship, organized by the Itanagar Cricket Club (ICC) was kicked off on Wednesday at Delhi Public School, Jullang here. This is the first Test match format tournament being held in the state. The tournament was declared open by Gangte Vijay, treasurer of the United Naharlagun Cricket Club in presence of Kipa Mero, chairperson of KM Women’s Cricket Club.
The opening match featured a contest between Itanagar Cricket Club (ICC) and Caden Cricket Club (CCC). ICC won the toss and elected to bat first, getting off to a strong start with their openers scoring 46 runs in 12 overs. However, in quick succession, ICC lost five wickets, managing only 110 runs on the scoreboard.
Despite the early setbacks, ICC’s Ankit Gupta and Rakesh Kumar batted brilliantly, adding 86 runs for the sixth wicket. Ankit scored an impressive 68 runs off 85 balls, hitting 8 fours and a six. Later in the innings, Rakesh Kumar and Rupesh Mishra added another 100 runs for the eighth wicket, with Rupesh scoring 41 runs off 77 balls before being bowled by leg spinner Loli Yangfo. ICC finished their innings with a total of 296 runs in 75 overs before being all out.
Rakesh Kumar played a crucial knock, remaining unbeaten on 84 runs off 136 balls, with 11 boundaries. From the bowling side, Loli Yangfo bowled superbly, achieving a 5-wicket haul with figures of 16 overs, 1 maiden, 53 runs, and 5 wickets. Nabam Tempo and Kamsha Yangfo also contributed with 2 wickets each.
In response, CCC lost four crucial wickets for 58 runs at stumps. Day 2 of the match will resume on Thursday and is expected to be a thrilling contest.
