NEWS
Follow UsChennai Super Kings might have struck gold with Shreyas Gopal, with the Karnataka leg-spinner picking up a hat-trick against in-form Baroda on December 3 in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT). The leg-spinner accounted for Shashwat Rawat, Hardik and Krunal Pandya for his hat-trick.
With Baroda at 102/1, Karnataka skipper Mayank Agarwal was forced to throw the ball to the leg-spinner, who made an instant impact. First, the leggie removed Baroda’s opener, Rawat (63 off 37), before striking gold. Over the next two deliveries, Gopal removed both the Pandya brothers, first dismissing Hardik before accounting for Krunal as well.
The leg-spinner then proceeded to pick up his fourth wicket of the innings, removing the well-set Bhanu Pania, who was dismissed for a 24-ball 42. Yet again, Gopal finished with impressive figures, this time around with 4/19 after his four overs. Incidentally, it is the 31-year-old’s third hat-trick of his T20 career. He earlier got one against RCB, where he got Virat Kohli, Marcus Stoinis, and AB de Villiers out in three consecutive deliveries in a rain-curtailed encounter. Not just that, he also got a hat-trick against Haryana back in 2018/19.
Also read: Shreyas Gopal Interview: ‘Dream come true to be playing for CSK’
In his last two innings before the Baroda clash, the leggie recorded figures of 1/14 (against TN) and 5/13 (against Sikhim). The 31-year-old is currently the leading wicket-taker in the ongoing edition of the SMAT, with 14 wickets in the competition, impressing everyone in his return to Karnataka.
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