Chandigarh hold edge over Sikkim

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 13

Hosts Chandigarh gained a vital 96-run first innings lead against Sikkim before Shreshth Nirmohi and Jagjit Singh Sandhu left the visitors reeling at 69/3 on the rain-curtailed third and penultimate day of their Ranji Trophy match here today.

Ashish Thapa was batting on 29 and Yashpal was on 30 when rain stopped the play at the Sector 16 stadium on Monday.

Earlier, resuming at 338/8, in reply to Sikkim’s first innings total of 264, the hosts managed to add 22 runs to their total.

The overnight unbeaten pair of Nirmohi and Sandhu raised 21 runs for the ninth wicket before Iqbal Abdulla struck for the visitors. The left-arm spinner trapped Sandhu on 13 to get his third wicket of the match.

Six overs later, he got rid of Nirmohi (17) to pack off the hosts on 360. Anirudh Kanwar remained unbeaten on two.

For the visitors, Ishwar Chaudhary (4/105) and Abdulla (4/89) claimed four wickets each, while Lee Lepacha accounted for one wicket.

Trailing Chandigarh by 96 runs, Sikkim had a disastrous start to their second innings as they lost Bibek Diyali, Puran Giri and Jahan Uddin for just 23 runs. While Puran was cleaned up by Sandhu on one, Bibek and Jahan Uddin fell to Nirmohi on zero and nine, respectively.

Thapa and Yashpal then held the fort for the visitors till the end of the day’s play.