How Did Reddy’s Unbeaten Century Propel Andhra to Victory and Eliminate Punjab?
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- Hemanth Reddy's Century: His 109 runs were crucial for Andhra's victory.
- Partnership Resilience: The 155-run stand between Reddy and Prasad was pivotal.
- Punjab's Strong Batting: They set a challenging target with a solid total of 205 runs.
- Next Challenge: Andhra prepares to face Jharkhand in their upcoming match.
Pune, Dec 14 (NationPress) Maramreddy Hemanth Reddy delivered a stunning performance with an unbeaten century, leading Andhra to their inaugural victory in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy Super League stage and effectively knocking Punjab out of the race for the finals.
At the MCA Cricket Stadium in Gahunje, Hemanth unleashed a phenomenal 109 off just 53 balls, marking his first-ever T20I century. He propelled Andhra to a five-wicket triumph, successfully chasing down a target of 206 with one ball remaining. After being put to bat first, Punjab managed to compile an impressive total through various contributions.
Opener Harnoor Singh set the tone with 42 runs off 30 balls, while Anmolpreet Singh (47 off 27 balls), Ramandeep Singh (43 off 18 balls), and Salil Arora (42 not out off 22 balls) added crucial runs during the middle and death overs.
On the other hand, Andhra's seam-bowling all-rounder Nitish Reddy, who previously achieved a hat-trick against Madhya Pradesh, ended with figures of 1-39, and Saurabh Kumar contributed with 1-24.
The chase for Andhra began on shaky ground as they fell to 12/3 and later 56/5 by the ninth over, with Nitish dismissed for a duck. However, Hemanth and SDNV Prasad turned the match around with a remarkable 155-run partnership for the sixth wicket.
Hemanth's innings was peppered with 11 fours and seven sixes, while Prasad's unbeaten 53 off 35 balls included two fours and four sixes, as they led Andhra to victory in a thrilling run chase. Andhra's next challenge will be against an in-form Jharkhand in their final match of the Super League stage on Tuesday.
Brief Scores: Punjab 205/5 in 20 overs (Anmolpreet Singh 47, Ramandeep Singh 43; Saurabh Kumar 1-24, Nitish Kumar Reddy 1-39) lost to Andhra 211/5 in 19.5 overs (M Hemanth Reddy 109 not out, SDNV Prasad 53 not out, Gurnoor Brar 3-23, Ayush Goyal 1-37) by five wickets.