Well-prepared and ready to put up a strong, determined fight, says Captain Bishworjit ahead of crucial clash against Mizora

By Our Staff Reporter
IMPHAL, Nov 7 : Manipur Captain Konthoujam Bishworjit has said that the State players are well prepared as Mizoram host Manipur in the fourth tie of the Ranji Trophy Plate Group at Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium, Anand from tomorrow (November 8).
In a conversation with The Sangai Express regarding the team’s preparedness following a convincing win against Arunachal Pradesh, Bishworjit said that the match against Mizoram will be a crucial one for them as a win at Anand will boost Manipur's final hopes.
“The team is eager to carry forward the momentum and make the most of the opportunity by earning maximum points. We know Mizoram has some quality hitters who can challenge us, but our players are well-prepared and ready to put up a strong, determined fight,” he said.
On being asked about the message he wanted to give to the fellow players before stepping onto the field tomorrow, he said the upcoming game will be about belief and composure.
“We know what’s at stake — we simply can’t afford to concede in either of the remaining matches. But I’ve told the boys to stay calm and trust the process,” he said.
“We’ve played some really good cricket lately, and that confidence is what we need to carry forward. Everyone knows their role, and the focus is on executing our plans well,” he said.
“Yes, there’s pressure, but that’s part of the game — it’s what pushes us to perform better. We just want to go out there, play with heart, enjoy our cricket, and make Manipur proud,” he continued.
On Mizoram’s recent form and the plan to tackle quality batter like Armaan Jaffer, who had also scored two back to back tons against Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh, he noted that Armaan is a quality batter, and added that the kind of form he’s in right now speaks for itself.
“We have a lot of respect for players like him who can change the course of a game. But, our plan is simple — to stay disciplined with our line and length and not give him easy scoring opportunities,” he said.
“We’ve discussed a few specific strategies, but at the end of the day, it’s about sticking to our basics and executing well,” he said.
“If we can build pressure consistently, we’ll create those chances. We’re not looking to overdo anything — just play smart, focused cricket and trust our bowlers to do their job,” he added.
Recalling the comprehensive win against Arunachal Pradesh
Notably, Manipur had won the previous tie against Arunachal Pradesh by an innings and 119 runs to go top of the Plate Group Table.
The match witnessed three centurions in the Manipur line up- Karnajit Yumnam 146, Ulenyai Khwairakpam 103, Ronald Longjam  not out  101, while Ng Johnson Singh 95 and Kangabam Priyojit  not out 52 struck half centuries before Pheiroijam Jotin 3/13 and Bishworjit Konthoujam 4/19 led in bundling out Arunachal Pradesh for the first innings total of 247 runs.
Asked to follow on, Arunachal Pradesh were dismissed for 139 runs as Bishworjit Konthoujam 4/15, Pheiroijam Jotin 2/13 and L Kishan Singha 2/8 shared a bulk of 8 crucial wickets to seal the huge win.
On the team’s victory, Biswhorjit who enjoyed a match haul of 8 wickets and led Manipur to a resounding success, said that Manipur entered the match with high confidence and strong self-belief, riding on the morale boost from their last two matches.
Both the batting and bowling departments performed exceptionally well, with batsmen delivering standout innings and bowlers restricting the opposition to 386 runs across two innings, he said.
“The team's focus since the opening match against Sikkim has been on building stronger batting partnerships and functioning cohesively as a unit, which paid off,” he said.
He also applauded support staff’s commendable role in securing the big win.
“The support staff played a crucial role in analyzing performances, preparing strategies, and keeping the players physically and mentally ready, contributing to a positive environment for the team to succeed,” he said.