Uttarakhand thrash Sikkim, go top of table after third win on trot

Uttarakhand jumped to the top of the Plate Group table with a thumping innings and 178-run win over Sikkim in the Ranji Trophy tournament here on Friday.

Overnight 27/2 after following on, Sikkim folded for 140 in just 48.5 overs with Deepak Dhapola claiming 4/44 to help them secure a third win on the trot.

Uttarakhand bagged seven including a bonus point to consolidate their position atop the standings with 20 points from three matches.

Meghalaya (13 points) also climbed past Sikkim on net run rate, following their six-wicket win over Nagaland in Shillong with left-arm spinner Aditya Singhania bagging his maiden five-wicket haul.

Sikkim batsmen provided hardly any resistance with eight of their batsmen failing to get even double digits.

It was once again Milind Kumar who waged the lone battle and top-scored with his 61 from 68 balls.

The former Delhi batsman had scored 133 in the first innings for his third successive triple-digit score.

But after Dhopola dismissed him in the 44.2 overs it was just a matter of time as the last four added just eight runs to cap a humiliating defeat at their adopted home venue here.

In Shillong, left-arm spinner Singhania's impressive 5/52 helped Meghalaya bowl out Nagaland for 371 following-on.

Set a target of 89, Meghayala had a jittery start to be 12/3 inside five overs but Puneet Bisht steered the team to victory with an unbeaten 34.

Earlier resuming on 332/8, Nagaland managed to add just 39 runs and folded their second innings after Arbar Kazi departed for a valiant 164 (208 balls; 18x4, 4x6), becoming Singhania's fifth victim.

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