After being ignored by the selectors for the ongoing five-match T20I series between India and South Africa, all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy put in a fantastic bowling performance in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT). He went on to take a hat-trick which included the wicket of Madhya Pradesh captain Rajat Patidar for a golden duck. However, despite his heroic spell, Andhra Pradesh would end up losing to the opposition by 4 wickets.
After being invited to bat first, Andhra had a woeful start and lost both Ashwin Hebbar and Shaik Rasheed for ducks. The duo of Srikar Bharat and Reddy formed a much-needed 50-run partnership, but once the former got dismissed for 39 runs by Venkatesh Iyer in the ninth over, the collapse went on to continue. Reddy went on to lose his wicket for 25 runs in the 12th over, restricting Andhra down to 69/4.
Wickets would continue to fall for them as the innings progressed. It was the 18-run cameo from Pyla Avinash that somehow got Andhra over the 100-run mark, but they wouldn't be able to go much further. They eventually got bundled out for just 112 runs in 19.1 overs, setting up a modest target for the opponents. Spinner Shivam Shukla was the star performer for Madhya Pradesh, recording figures of 4/23 in his quota of four overs while seamer Tripuresh Singh also contributed well with figures of 3/31.
Reddy provides Andhra with incredible start
In reply, Madhya Pradesh also had a poor start thanks to Reddy's fiery hat-trick that saw them get restricted down to 14/3 at one stage. He first got the wicket of Harsh Gawli for five runs before getting rid of both Harpreet Bhatia and Patidar on the next two deliveries. Iyer would also lose his wicket soon after to K.V. Sasikanth for 22 runs and this saw Madhya Pradesh go down to 37/4.
Madhya Pradesh batters hold their nerve
They were in a dire need of a strong partnership and the duo of Rishabh Chouhan and Rahul Batham provided them with that exactly. Their 73-run stand calmed down all nerves for Patidar & Co. and left them on the cusp of emerging victorious. The two took their time on the crease and played some beautiful shots all around the stadium. Chouhan would eventually lose his wicket for 47 and next batter Aniket Verma would also head back to the dugout just two deliveries later.
However, Batham's unbeaten knock of 35 was enough for Madhya Pradesh to chase down the 113-run target with 15 deliveries left to spare. They made a positive start to their Super League stage and will now be hoping to maintain this form in their next fixture of the SMAT that will be against Punjab and will be held on December 14. On the other hand, Andhra Pradesh will be looking to bounce back from this four-wicket defeat in their next game of the tournament that will be against Jharkhand.