Star Sikkim batsman Niliesh Lamichaney has done it again, becoming the first home-bred player to score a First Class century when he hit a classy 108 to guide his team to a four-wicket win over Mizoram on the fourth day of their Ranji Trophy match at the Sikkim Cricket Ground near Rangpo on Friday.

Nilesh also became the first player to score a century at Sikkim’s home ground, which was hosting only its second First Class match. In September 2018, the 31-year-old Nilesh had become the first from Sikkim to score a List A century, a feat acknowledged by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to the Himalayan state around that time.

The match between Sikkim and Mizoram in progress on Friday. The Telegraph

“I am feeling happy. I have been waiting for this moment. It has taken me more than four years since my century (List A) in the first season (2018). To score it on our home ground makes me even more happy,” said the former Sikkim captain, adding with a chuckle it felt good to end the year on a happy note.

There have been other centurions since Sikkim started taking part in Ranji Trophy, the country’s premier cricket tournament, after gaining full membership of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in 2018, but they were all outstation players. This year, the Sikkim Cricket Association had taken a conscious decision not to include guest players to help nurture local talents.

Thanks to Nilesh’s efforts and those of skipper Asish Thapa (43) and all-rounder Sumit (52), Sikkim chased down a rather stiff fourth innings target of 244 runs set by Mizoram for the loss of six wickets. Mizoram had scored 263 and 156 runs in their first and second innings, respectively, while Sikkim had managed only 176 in their first innings.

This is Sikkim’s second win in three Ranji Trophy matches this season. They had defeated Manipur in their first match, but had come a cropper against Meghalaya in their second tie.