TG20 Season 1: Abhirath's ton helps Hyderabad E-Champions maintain unbeaten run to march into playoffs
Hyderabad, July 1
Skipper Abhirath Reddy and district player Ganesh Gadugu led the charge for Hyderabad E-Champions as they continued their unbeaten run with a six-wicket win against Warangal Warriors in the Hyderabad Cricket Association's TG20's first match on Wednesday. With this win, the E-Champions have qualified for the Playoffs.
After narrowly missing out on a couple of occasions, Abhirath registered his maiden ton in the TG20. The Orange Cap holder continued to pile on the runs for his side with a stellar 101* off 43 balls, which included seven fours and nine sixes. District player Ganesh Gadugu also played his part, scoring 50 off 31 balls after the bowlers, led by Purple Cap holder Ajay Dev Goud (3/27), restricted the Warriors to 173/9.
Opting to bat first, the Warriors made a watchful start before their openers unfurled a range of strokes. They piled up 64 runs in the first five overs to set the platform for their side. However, Ajay showed why he's on top of the wicket-takers list, as he sent back both openers in the final over of the powerplay.
Harshit Choudhary (22 of 14) was the first to be dismissed, with Aman Rao Perala also falling after a quickfire 20-ball 45. The twin strikers wrestled back momentum for the E-Champions. Shanmukha Ashwin got the better of Murugan Abhishek (4 off 7) soon after, putting the Warriors further into trouble.
Sunkari Dheeraj (18 off 16) and Rishiket Sisodia stitched together a 50-run stand to stabilise the innings, with the latter doing the heavy lifting. He found the odd boundary and rotated strike regularly to keep the scoreboard ticking with his partner. Unfortunately for the Warriors, Rishiket fell in an attempt to up the ante, with Pranav Varma getting the better of him in the 15th over, putting an end to his 32-ball 38.
That triggered a series of wickets with the Warriors stumbling at the backend of the innings. Akhil Rathod bagged his first wicket to dismiss Sunkari, while Ajay continued his wicket-taking streak by dismissing Adi Mani Kiran (5 off 6). Dev Mehta also got rid of Bhavesh Seth (6 off 8) as the Warriors found themselves at 142/7.
Shaunak Kulkarni's fiery 7-ball 22-run cameo powered his side to a strong finish before he fell to Abhirath in the penultimate over. In the end, the Warriors posted a total of 173/9 at the end of 20 overs.
E-Champions laid down an early marker of intent at the beginning of their run chase, scoring 27 runs in the first couple of overs with their captain leading the charge. However, they found themselves in a spot of bother as the Warriors returned strongly to bag three wickets in the powerplay, achieving that feat for the first time in the tournament.
Pallepati Kranthi struck a crucial double blow in the third over, dismissing Sai Vikas Reddy (10 off 7) and Ajay Goud (0 off 2). Anvith Reddy (4 off 2) was dismissed by Salman Khan in the following over as he pegged things back for the Warriors.
With the game hanging in the balance, Abhirath and Ganesh Gadugu once again showed why they're vital cogs of the E-Champions batting unit. They displayed immense maturity to keep the required run rate under control as they built a 77-run stand in which Ganesh was the aggressor.
The district player smashed his second half-century of the tournament, reaching the milestone in 30 balls to put his side in cruise control. Shaunak broke the partnership by dismissing Ganesh in the 12th over, but the writing was on the wall by then.
Abhirath effortlessly switched gears to notch up his fifty in 28 balls and unleashed an array of strokes to finish things off in a hurry. He concluded the run chase on a high, launching a towering six over long-off to amass his century and secure a comprehensive win for his side with 27 balls to spare.
Brief scores:
Warangal Warriors 173/9 in 20 overs (Aman Rao Perala 45, Rishiket Sisodia 38, Ajay Dev Goud 3/27) lost to Hyderabad E-Champions 178/4 in 15.3 overs (Abhirath Reddy 101*, Ganesh Gadugu 50, Pallepati Kranthi 1/29) by six wickets
— IANS
Reader Comments
The way Abhirath finished the chase with a six over long-off to complete his century... goosebumps honestly! 🥹 But what impressed me more was the partnership with Ganesh when they were 3 down in powerplay. Composed cricket under pressure. Hope these young boys get IPL opportunities soon.
Great win for E-Champions but honestly, Warangal Warriors need to work on their death bowling. When you have a team at 77/3, you should be able to defend 173. The bowling changes and field placements were questionable in the middle overs. Still, incredible hitting from Abhirath - that's a talent we need to nurture at the national level.
What a match for the neutral fan! 😍 27 runs in first 2 overs of chase, then 3 wickets in powerplay - the momentum kept swinging. Ajay Dev Goud with Purple Cap is doing wonders with the ball. If only we had more domestic tournaments like TG20 getting proper coverage on TV, our bench strength would be incredible.
Abhirath Reddy is a name to remember. Orange Cap holder, now a century, and leading from the front. The way he paced his innings after the early wickets showed maturity beyond his age. 27 balls to spare says everything about the domination. Hyderabad cricket is in good hands! 🇮🇳👏
The real story here is Ganesh Gadugu - a district player scoring 50 off 31 balls and proving that talent exists beyond the city limits. More such platforms for grassroots cricketers will do wonders for Indian cricket
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