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Nitish Reddy's Hat-Trick in Vain: How MP Staged a Stunning Chase

Nitish Reddy's brilliant hat-trick gave Andhra a dream start, reducing Madhya Pradesh to 14 for 3. However, the match turned on a crucial 73-run partnership between Rishabh Chouhan and Rahul Batham. Earlier, Andhra's innings collapsed after a decent start, getting bowled out for just 112. Madhya Pradesh held their nerve to win by four wickets, securing four important points in the Super League stage.

Key Points: Nitish Reddy Hat-Trick But Andhra Lose to MP in SMAT

  • Nitish Reddy dismissed three batters in an over after joining from India duty
  • MP collapsed to 14/3 before Chouhan and Batham's 73-run partnership
  • Andhra were bowled out for 112 after a top-order collapse
  • Shivam Shukla was MP's star bowler with figures of 4-23
2 min read

SMAT: Nitish Reddy's hat‑trick in vain as Andhra lose to MP by 4 wickets

Andhra's Nitish Reddy took a hat-trick, but Madhya Pradesh recovered from 14/3 to chase 113 and win their Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy opener by 4 wickets.

"But a composed 73‑run stand for the fifth wicket between Rishabh Chouhan and Rahul Batham steadied the chase. - Match Report"

Pune, Dec 12

Seam bowling all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy’s hat‑trick gave Andhra a glimmer of hope, but Madhya Pradesh recovered from 14/3 to chase down 113 and win by four wickets in their first game of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy Super League stage at the DY Patil Academy on Friday.

Reddy, who joined the Andhra team after being in India’s squads for Tests and ODIs against South Africa, struck in the third over to dismiss Harsh Gawli, Harpreet Bhatia and Rajat Patidar in quick succession. Soon after Venkatesh Iyer’s dismissal left MP wobbling at 37/4.

But a composed 73‑run stand for the fifth wicket between Rishabh Chouhan and Rahul Batham steadied the chase. Chouhan made 47 off 43 balls with six fours, while Batham remained unbeaten on 35 off 32 deliveries to see MP home with 15 balls to spare and pick up four crucial points.

Previously, Reddy had added 50 runs for the third wicket with wicketkeeper-batter KS Bharat after Andhra slipped to 7/2. Bharat top‑scored with 39 before being dismissed by Iyer, triggering a collapse that saw Andhra lose eight wickets for 55 runs and be bowled out for 112 in 19.1 overs.

For MP, Shivam Shukla claimed 4-23 while Tripuresh Singh took 3-31. Batham chipped in with two wickets, as four Andhra batters fell without scoring. Andhra’s next game will be against Punjab, while MP are slated to face Jharkhand on the same day, 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

- IANS

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Reader Comments

S
Shreya B
MP showed great character to recover from 14/3. That partnership between Chouhan and Batham was the match-winner. Shows the depth in domestic cricket. Exciting start to the Super League stage!
A
Aman W
Four batters out for a duck? That's just poor application from Andhra. You can't expect your bowlers to win you the game every time after such a batting collapse. Need to work on the top order before the Punjab match.
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Priyanka N
Heartbreaking for Nitish. Gave his all with ball and even chipped in with 25 runs. A true all-rounder performance in a losing cause. Hope the selectors are watching! 🏏
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David E
Watching from the UK. The SMAT always throws up these nail-biters! Shivam Shukla with 4 wickets set it up for MP. The domestic circuit in India is so competitive, it's fantastic for the health of the national team.
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Karthik V
Respectful criticism: The article is good but the headline focuses only on Reddy's hat-trick "in vain". It was a team loss. MP's fightback deserves the primary spotlight for the win. Just a thought!
N
Neha E

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