Did Nitish Reddy’s Hat-Trick Go to Waste as Andhra Falls to MP by 4 Wickets?
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- Nitish Kumar Reddy showcased remarkable skill with a hat-trick.
- Madhya Pradesh demonstrated resilience by recovering from a poor start.
- Key partnerships can change the course of a match.
- Bowling performance played a crucial role in the outcome.
- Upcoming matches are vital for both teams' progress in the tournament.
Pune, Dec 12 (NationPress) The remarkable hat-trick by Nitish Kumar Reddy, a seam bowling all-rounder, offered Andhra a fleeting moment of optimism, but Madhya Pradesh rebounded from a precarious 14/3 to successfully chase down 113 runs, securing a victory by four wickets in their opening match of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy Super League at the DY Patil Academy on Friday.
Reddy, who had recently joined the Andhra squad after participating in India's Test and ODI series against South Africa, made his impact felt in the third over by dismissing Harsh Gawli, Harpreet Bhatia, and Rajat Patidar in quick succession. Following Venkatesh Iyer's dismissal, MP found itself in a difficult position at 37/4.
However, a steady partnership of 73 runs for the fifth wicket between Rishabh Chouhan and Rahul Batham stabilized the innings. Chouhan scored 47 off 43 balls, hitting six fours, while Batham remained not out on 35 off 32 deliveries, guiding MP to victory with 15 balls to spare and securing four essential points.
Earlier, Reddy contributed to a partnership of 50 runs for the third wicket with wicketkeeper KS Bharat after Andhra had a rocky start at 7/2. Bharat was the top scorer with 39 runs before Iyer dismissed him, triggering a collapse that saw Andhra lose eight wickets for just 55 runs, ending their innings at 112 all out in 19.1 overs.
For MP, Shivam Shukla took 4 wickets for 23 runs, and Tripuresh Singh secured 3 wickets for 31 runs. Batham also contributed with two wickets, while four Andhra players went without scoring. Andhra's upcoming match is against Punjab, while MP is set to face Jharkhand on December 14.
Brief Scores: Andhra 112 all out in 19.1 overs (KS Bharat 39, Nitish Kumar Reddy 25; Shivam Shukla 4-23, Tripuresh Singh 3-31) lost to Madhya Pradesh 113/6 in 17.3 overs (Rishabh Chouhan 47, Rahul Batham 35 not out; Nitish Kumar Reddy 3-17, KV Sasikanth 1-12) by four wickets