Gaurav Reddy's Blistering Ton Powers Nalgonda Knights to Second Spot in TG20

TG20 Season 1: Gaurav Reddy's blistering 101* helps Nalgonda Knights surge to 2nd spot

Hyderabad, July 3

Chasing 181, Knights' openers Gaurav and Jashwanth Mote (34 off 21) laid the platform for their side in the powerplay. The former went on to score his maiden century in the tournament, registering an unbeaten 101 in 47 balls to lead his side to a comprehensive win. He also moved into third place in the race for the Orange Cap, amassing 257 runs in the tournament thus far.

Opting to bat first, the Falcons were off to a steady start courtesy of Naman Agarwal (18 off 14) and Shrunjith Reddy. The two openers capitalised on loose deliveries to cruise their way to 30/0 after three overs. Aniketh Reddy outfoxed Naman to provide the Knights with the breakthrough in the fourth over, turning the tide for his side.

With that setback, Falcons skipper Ravi Teja and Shrunjith then consolidated with a 28-run stand off 24 balls. They found the odd boundary and combined it with regular strike rotation to lead their side to 58/1 in the Power-play. Shrunjith's 17-ball 30 was brought to a halt as he succumbed to a runout in the eighth over. His captain took the onus to counterattack, smashing back-to-back sixes to score 13 runs against Urvesh Kakkad in the ninth over.

Debutant Ilyaan Sathani made an immediate impact in his first over, dismissing Ravi to put the Falcons in a spot of bother. Rakshann Readdi also got the better of Bunny Jagam (4 off 7) in the following over, sinking Falcons deeper into trouble at 89/4.

District player Vikram Naik and Sai Varun Yerram (44* off 29) then showed immense maturity to rebuild the innings in the latter half. They kept the scoreboard ticking without too many risks before taking on the bowlers at the death, scoring 63 runs in the last five overs.

The onslaught began with 15 runs coming in the fifteenth over, with Vikram displaying why he's regarded as one of the best batters in the tournament thus far. His 31-ball 48* included four fours and two sixes. Sai Varun also found boundaries with regularity towards the end, as the two notched a 91-run stand off 55 balls to help Falcons post 180/4.

It was an exhilarating start to the run chase for the Knights, with Jashwanth setting the tone by scoring 14 runs in the first over. Gaurav also joined in on the action as the two openers found boundaries at will and ate into a large chunk of the target.

They blazed to 81 runs in the powerplay before Arjun Gorrapalli provided the Falcons with some respite as he dismissed Jashwanth, breaking the 83-run partnership. Despite the breakthrough, Falcons' bowlers were being put to the sword by Gaurav, who registered his half-century in 22 balls.

Nitish Reddy played second fiddle alongside him as the two stitched together a 58-run stand off 34 balls, with Gaurav playing the aggressor. Madhukar Manne struck for the Falcons to dismiss Nitish after his 17-ball 21, but the damage had already been inflicted by then.

With the finish line in sight, skipper Rahul Buddhi (20* off 14) joined Gaurav in the middle to finish the job for their side. The latter carried on his scintillating form to amass his maiden ton in the tournament. He reached the milestone in 46 balls, with his knock including six fours and nine sixes. Gaurav eventually scored the winning runs, guiding his team to a commanding win with 21 balls to spare.

Brief scores:

Medak Falcons 180/4 in 20 overs (Vikram Naik 48*, Sai Varun Yerram 44*, Aniketh Reddy 1/27, Rakshann Readdi 1/32) bt Anurag Nalgonda Knights 181/2in 16.1 overs (Gaurav Reddy 101*, Jashwanth Mote 34, Arjun Gorrapalli 1/36) by 8 wickets.

— IANS