Vijay Hazare: Bisht, Negi help Meghalaya crush Arunachal Pradesh

While Bisht impressed with the bat, Abhay Negi toyed with Arunachal Pradesh batsmen, scalping seven wickets.

Puneet Bisht cracked his career-best 135 against Arunachal Pradesh. (File Photo)

It was an outing to remember for Puneet Bisht as he cracked his career-best 135 to help Meghalaya crush Arunachal Pradesh by 256 runs in a rain-curtailed Vijay Hazare Trophy fixture in Anand on Monday.

While Bisht impressed with the bat, Abhay Negi toyed with Arunachal Pradesh batsmen, scalping seven wickets.

In another match of the day at the Motibagh Stadium in Vadodara, medium pacer Deepak Dhapola scalped 4-34 as Uttarakhand defeated Nagaland by six wickets.

The other match between Bihar and Puducherry was abandoned in Nadiad due to rain.

Arunachal Pradesh won the toss and opted to field — a move that backfired.

Taking advantage of a toothless Arunachal bowling attack, Bisht smashed a 90-ball 135 — crafting his innings with 17 boundaries and four sixes.

Captain Jason Lamare also chipped in with 42 off 54 in a 111-run third wicket stand. That helped the side put up 317-4 in 43 overs.

Chasing a mammoth target of 318, only two Arunachal Pradesh batsmen – opener Samrath Seth (15) and Song Tacho (16) – managed to reach double digits with Negi looking aggressive.

Playing his third domestic match, Negi had figures of 6-0-17-7 as Arunachal Pradesh batting collapsed in for 61 in 26 overs.

In Vadodara, Dhapola scalped 4-34 as Nagaland could only score 206-9 in 50 overs. In reply, it was a jittery start for Uttarakhand as it lost two wickets for zero.

But seasoned Vineet Saxena (43) and Vaibhav Panwar (63) steadied the ship in a 109-run partnership.

That helped immensely. Later, Rajat Bhatia’s unbeaten 31 and Saurabh Rawat’s unbeaten 60 helped the team bag a win with three overs to spare.

Brief Scores In Anand: Meghalaya 317-4 in 43 overs (Puneet Bisht 135, Yogesh Nagar 56 not out, Jason Lamare 42) beat Arunachal Pradesh 61 in 26 overs (Song Tacho 16, Abhay Negi 7-16). In Vadodara: Nagaland 206-9 in 50 overs (Abrar Kazi 75 not out; Deepak Dhopala 4/34) lost to Uttarakhand 210-4 in 47 overs (Saurabh Rawat 60 not out, Vaibhav Panwar 63, Vineet Saxena 43). In Nadiad: Bihar vs Puducherry — Match abandoned