At a time when most of the teams picked professional players to bolster their attack, Sikkim had faith in homegrown talents.
Walking on a different path, the state decided to field all the local players for the Vijay Hazare Trophy.
But that move did not work well as the inexperienced unit suffered a 10-wicket defeat against Manipur at the Motibagh Stadium in Vadodara on Thursday.
In the other Plate group matches of the day, Meghalaya defeated Mizoram by eight wickets in Nadiad, while Uttarakhand went down to Bihar by five wickets in Anand.
Winning the toss and opting to bat first, Sikkim batsmen struggled to make their List A debut a memorable one and with Bishworjit Konthoujam scalping 3-9 and Thoudam Singh grabbing two wickets for 10 runs, Sikkim could only post 84 runs in 37.2 overs.
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Rajkumar Singh also picked up a couple of wickets, giving away 26 runs.
Coming into the List A set-up for the first time, the Sikkim players found themselves clueless and there were five ducks in the innings.
Though Lee Yong Lepcha top-scored with an unbeaten knock of 29, that was not enough for the side.
In reply, Lakhan Rawat made an unbeaten 44, while Pukhrambam Singh was not out on 30, to help Manipur sail through.
Sikkim coach, Sanjeev Sharma, however said the lack of temperament cost the team dear in its first List A fixture.
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“The players are technically sound, but lack of match practice, has affected them a bit,” Sharma said.
In the build-up to the tournament, Sikkim held a camp in Bhubaneswar, but not much could be done because of incessant rains.
“We only got eight days of practice, but I am sure things will improve as the tournament progresses,” Sharma said.
In Nadiad, Puneet Bisht’s unbeaten 95 guided Meghalaya to eight-wicket victory over Mizoram.
Batting first, Taruwar Kohli’s knock of 90 helped Mizoram reach 154 in 43.4 overs. In reply, Bisht — a seasoned campaigner in the first-class circuit — anchored the ship along with captain Jason Lamare, who remained unbeaten on 41.
The fixture also saw Mark Ingty, a fast bowler who played for Assam previously, making his return to first-class cricket at the age of 42 years and four days. He, however, had a forgettable outing, conceding 19 runs in two overs.
“It is always disheartening to miss out on a century. But I am happy that the innings helped the team. We have a young side, and hopefully, we will do better in the tournament,” Bisht said.
In Anand, Bihar maintained its winning streak as it defeated Uttarakhand by five wickets. Batting first, Vineet Saxena hammered a knock of 57 to guide Uttarakhand to 160 in 43.2 overs.
Anunay Singh and Samar Quadri took three wickets each. In reply, Vikash Ranjan stood firm with a knock of 79 to guide Bihar home.
Coach, Subroto Banerjee, was happy with the team’s performance. “These are early days, but we are trying to perform as a unit. We have got off to a good start, and now, we need to keep it going,” Banerjee said.
Friday's Fixtures
In Vadodara: Arunachal Pradesh vs Sikkim, In Nadiad: Meghalaya vs Nagaland, In Anand: Puducherry vs Uttarakhand.
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