The Plate Group of the
Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy often throws up contests that carry the weight of more than just points. When "
Meghalaya" face "
Mizoram" on the morning of December fourth, both sides will bring with them the memory of difficult weeks in the tournament's shortest format.
"
Meghalaya" have managed two wins from their four matches so far, but the pattern tells a more complicated story. Their most recent outing ended in a heavy defeat — bowled out for just eighty-one runs — and the match before that saw them lose by five wickets while defending one hundred and eighteen. Still, earlier in the week they posted one hundred and ninety against one hundred and eighty-one, a high-scoring encounter that showed their batsmen can find rhythm when conditions allow. The inconsistency, though, has been obvious: one day capable of building a defendable total, the next unable to stay at the crease long enough to make an impact.
"
Mizoram," by contrast, arrive with just one victory in four attempts. They opened their campaign with a thrilling sixteen-run win, chasing down one hundred and ninety-eight, but have since lost three on the trot. Their batting has wilted under pressure; scores of one hundred and forty-eight, one hundred and fifty-seven, and one hundred and twenty-eight suggest a lineup struggling to adapt or accelerate when required. What's more telling is the manner of those defeats — margins of twenty-nine runs, twenty-eight runs, and fifty-eight runs indicate they've been outplayed rather than narrowly edged out.
It's worth noting that December mornings in these northeastern venues can shift the mood of a match; moisture in the air, dew on the outfield, and the unpredictability of early-session bowling can unsettle even settled sides. From what we've seen recently, neither team has entirely mastered those variables.
The arithmetic leans slightly toward "
Meghalaya." They have home advantage, two wins already banked, and have demonstrated that on their day they can post competitive totals. "
Mizoram" will need more than hope; they'll need their batsmen to rediscover composure and their bowlers to strike early. On balance, though, "
Meghalaya" appear marginally better equipped for this encounter.
