Star Indian fast bowler Mohammed Siraj played for Hyderabad in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) 2025 Super League match against Mumbai on Friday (December 12).

The match was played at the MCA Stadium in Pune. Hyderabad won the game by nine wickets. Siraj picked up three wickets and finished with figures of 3 for 17 in 3.5 overs. He was named Player of the Match for his brilliant bowling performance.

Siraj also won hearts by sharing his Player of the Match award with teammate Tanmay Agarwal. Tanmay played a fine knock of 75 runs off 40 balls during the 132-run chase. Fans praised Siraj’s gesture on social media. His IPL franchise, the Gujarat Titans, also reacted and shared a post, which has now gone viral.

Also Read -Rohit Sharma set to play for Mumbai in Vijay Hazare Trophy ahead of IND vs NZ ODI series: Report

GT shared a picture of Mohammed Siraj sharing the Player of the Match award with Tanmay Agarwal. The franchise captioned the post, “Match bhi jeet liya aur dil bhi!”

Match bhi jeet liya aur dil bhi! 💙 pic.twitter.com/vGYc8NQSgk

— Gujarat Titans (@gujarat_titans) December 12, 2025

Flop Show by Mumbai

The presence of several Indian stars did not help Mumbai, as they lost to Hyderabad in their Super League match.

Mumbai had players like Yashasvi Jaiswal (29), Sarfaraz Khan (5), Ajinkya Rahane (9), and Shardul Thakur (0) in the playing XI. However, they were bowled out for 131. Mohammed Siraj was the star for Hyderabad, as he picked up three wickets for 17 runs in 3.5 overs.

Tanay Thyagarajan supported Siraj well and took two wickets.

In reply, Aman Rao scored an unbeaten 52, while Tanmay Agarwal made 75 runs. The duo helped Hyderabad chase the target in just 11.5 overs.

Hyderabad finished on 132 for one. They won the match by nine wickets and earned four points.

Read Also -Watch: “Forever grateful…”-Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Ayush Mhatre’s hilarious interview in U-19 Asia Cup 2025 goes viral

Hat-trick for Reddy

India all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy impressed for Andhra Pradesh. He scored 25 runs and took a hat-trick, finishing with figures of 3 for 17 in three overs.

However, Madhya Pradesh won the match by four wickets. Andhra were bowled out for 112 in 19.1 overs. Madhya Pradesh chased down the target, scoring 113 for six in 17.3 overs, despite Reddy’s fine spell.

The ongoing 2025/26 season of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) has moved into the knockout stage as Andhra faced Madhya Pradesh at the DY Patil Academy in Ambi, Pune. Nitish Kumar Reddy, who was left out of the T20I squad for the ongoing five-match series against South Africa at home, turned up for his state side, Andhra.

They didn’t put up a massive score on the board, getting bundled out for 112 in 19.1 overs. At number four, Nitish Reddy smashed 25 runs in 27 balls at a strike rate of 92.59 with the help of three boundaries. Their wicket-keeper opening batter, KS Bharat, clubbed 39 runs in 31 balls, shouldering on four boundaries and two sixes.

See Also: List of U-19 Asia Cup players who have smashed 150+ in a single innings ft Vaibhav Sooryavanshi

Shivam Shukla picked up four wickets for 23 runs in four overs at an economy rate of 5.80, while Rahul Batham ended with figures of 2/9 in 2.1 overs. Tripuresh Singh notched up three wickets for 31 runs in four overs at an economy rate of 7.80.

Nitish Kumar Reddy picks up hattrick in SMAT 2025/26 

A magical performance was needed with the ball from Andhra, and Nitish Reddy provided them with some crazy pace bowling inside the power play. The first wicket was of Harsh Gawali, who went for a massive whack into the leg side and missed the straight ball, and got bowled for five.

Watch the video here: 

🚨 𝗛𝗔𝗧-𝗧𝗥𝗜𝗖𝗞 𝗔𝗟𝗘𝗥𝗧 🚨

Moment of sheer brilliance by Nitish Kumar Reddy as he completed a superb hat-trick against Madhya Pradesh in the Super League Stage in Pune 👏#SMAT | @IDFCFIRSTBank | @NKReddy07 pic.twitter.com/3iv0wo1kFI

— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) December 12, 2025

On the very next delivery, Harpreet Singh Bhatia ended up edging the full-length delivery into the hands of the slip fielder, Ricky Bhui. The change of length foxed the left-handed batter, who went for a booming drive without moving his feet. MP captain, Rajat Patidar, cut the short ball to get the under-edge onto his stumps for a golden duck.

Nitish Kumar Reddy finished with figures of 3/17 in three overs. On the other hand, KV Sasikanth and Satyanarayan Raju also claimed one wicket each in their three overs each as Madhya Pradesh completed the chase by four wickets in 17.3 overs. Rahul Batham remained unbeaten on 35 runs in 32 balls with three boundaries. Andhra will bounce back quickly to stay alive in this tournament.

When India bowled on the surface at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati and South Africa posted nearly 500 runs in the first innings, many claimed the 22-yard pitch as benign. But the way the home side batted on the third day and faced a massive collapse, it has raised questions about the temperament of the Indian batters, who lacked the skills of the five-day format.

When Yashasvi Jaiswal collected his maiden Test fifty against the Proteas in the morning session, things were going smoothly for the Blue Brigade before they lost the track with a few sluggish and needless shots with the bat at the wrong time to bring the visitors more into the game.

See Also: Milestone for Salman Ali Agha as Pakistan captain equals MS Dhoni in world record

Nitish Reddy was dismissed to a brilliant catch from Aiden Markram at the second slip position. It was a snort from the left-arm pacer, who again got the incredible lift off the pitch and looked threatening with the bounce. Reddy was already committed to the shot as he tried to fend it off and was in no control of playing the shot.

Watch: Nitish Kumar Reddy bounced out to Aiden Markram’s one-handed catch during IND vs SA 2nd Test

The ball ballooned in the air, getting an edge on the shoulder of the bat to the right of the second slip. The brilliance of Aiden Markram saw him leaping and grabbing a fine one-handed stunner as India’s wheels came off and they delved apart in no time. They lost their last six wickets for just 27 runs in around 11 overs.

What a CATCH by Aiden Markram! Unbelievable! pic.twitter.com/yz6S7mOTNU

— Soham Ghosh (@Rickcy7) November 24, 2025

Earlier in the clash, the Proteas posted 489 runs in the first innings as Senuran Muthusamy smashed a fine knock of 109 runs in 206 balls at a strike rate of 52.91, while Marco Jansen also notched up 93 runs in 91 balls at a strike rate of 102.20, smashing seven sixes and six boundaries.

India found themselves 141/7 in 50 overs while Jaiswal remained the only batter to cross the 25-run mark. Meanwhile, Washington Sundar looked stable for his 17 unbeaten runs and would need to carry forward.

In a major blow to Indian cricket ahead of the second Test against South Africa at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati on November 22, their captain, Shubman Gill, has been ruled out of the clash. He travelled with the tea as his recovery was on the right track, but the BCCI team feels that Gill would be far from match fitness and will be cleared to take the field.

Shubman Gill was hoping to have a long hit in the nets, but the management was not keen to take a risk on the right-handed batter. The think tank is hoping to get him fully fit ahead of the three-match ODI series starting next week. The management was happy to play the waiting game with Gill and was willing to wait.

See Also: “People have agendas…”- Sitanshu Kotak reacts to Gautam Gambhir’s comment on Eden Gardens surface

Gill’s deputy, Rishabh Pant, led the side in the absence of Gill last week and is prepared to continue shouldering the responsibility. The team, however, will need to take some tough playing XI calls in the absence of their regular number four.

India likely to bring back Sai Sudharsan and Nitish Reddy for IND vs SA Guwahati Test

The management is likely to bring back Sai Sudharsan at number three, having been dropped from the eleven for the Kolkata Test. The southpaw was in decent touch during the second West Indies Test in Delhi. They are also likely to bring back Nitish Kumar Reddy in the middle order.

India’s batting coach, Shitanshu Kotak, shed light on the fact that they were not eager to touch the several numbers of the left-handed batters. He informed that even with right-handed batters, it would not have mattered against the left-arm spinner, Keshav Maharaj.

“You tell me one thing; they had a left-arm spinner also. If we had seven right-handed batsmen, then? They had a left-arm spinner and an off-spinner also. I believe that you have to play well. Off-spinner bowling to a left-hander does not mean the left-hander has to get out. We had two left-arm spinners (in the first Test), they had nine right-handers; did they get out? So maybe that thing is a little overrated.” Kotak informed.  

India A claimed a four-wicket win against South Africa A in the unofficial first ODI at Rajkot on Thursday (November 13), as they successfully chased the target of 286 runs in the final over, while the opener and vice-captain Ruturaj Gaikwad scored a century, and middle-order batters Nitish Kumar Reddy and Nishant Sindhu played heroic finisher roles. 

South Africa A scored 285/9 after a horrible start

After South Africa A chose to bat first, they had an awful start: three of their first four batters failed to open the scoreline, and they were down to three wickets with only one run on the board in just 1.4 overs. The struggle further stretched to 53/5 in 11.2 overs as the visitors lost their top five batters, all for less than 20 runs. 

Dian Forrester and Delano Potgieter handled the crisis with a solid 113-run partnership for the sixth wicket, and then Potgieter and Bjorn Fortuin had an 87-run partnership for the seventh wicket. Forrester scored 77 off 83 balls with four fours and four sixes, while Potgieter scored 90 off 105 balls with 10 fours and one six. Also, Fortuin scored 59 off 56 balls with eight fours. 

Finally, South Africa A scored 285/9 in 50 overs. Among the Indian bowlers, Arshdeep Singh (2/59) and Harshit Rana (2/49) picked up two wickets each, while four out of the other six India A bowlers managed to claim one wicket.

See Also: Sanjay Bangar Confident About Star Spinner’s Spot in India’s Playing XI for IND vs SA 2025 1st Test

Centurion Ruturaj Gaikwad provided strong start before confident finishing of Nitish Kumar Reddy and Nishant Sindhu

In reply, India A had a good start with a 64-run partnership between Ruturaj Gaikwad and Abhishek Sharma. After Abhishek (31) and Riyan Parag (8) were dismissed quickly, Ruturaj had an 89-run partnership with the skipper Tilak Varma for the third wicket. While Tilak scored 39 and Ishan Kishan was dismissed for 17 runs, Ruturaj scored 117 off 129 balls with 12 fours before losing his wicket in the 41st over. 

Middle-order batters Nitish Kumar Reddy and Nishant Sindhu played powerful roles with the bat, as they had a 65-run partnership in 49 balls for the sixth wicket to guide the hosts to the target. Apart from taking a wicket in his two overs (1/18), Nitish Kumar Reddy, who has been released from the first Test squad against South Africa (starting on November 14, 2025, at Kolkata), scored 37 off 26 balls with three fours and one six. In the meantime, Nishant scored 29 not out off 26 balls (three fours), while Harshit Rana finished the game with a sixer on the third ball of the final over, as India A won by four wickets with three balls remaining.   

Emerging all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy is now in the playing XI of India’s 'A' side, not the main Test team, that will face South Africa at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, from Friday, November 14. The youngster had to travel all the way to Rajkot after being released from the Test squad at the last minute.

This late and sudden change continues Reddy’s confusing journey in international cricket, where his potential is met with mixed signals from the team management and sporadic opportunities. After a promising debut series in Australia, he was sidelined for India’s next Test in England, where the team brought back Shardul Thakur. One Test later, Reddy was back in the playing XI.

The confusing trend continued during the home Tests against the West Indies. Once again, his run stopped abruptly, and he did not get momentum as he was not part of the playing XI.

Here are three reasons why releasing Nitish Kumar Reddy from the squad ahead of IND vs SA 2025 1st Test is the wrong move.

Also Read -Shardul Thakur to join Mumbai Indians in all-cash trade deal for IPL 2026

1. India Needs a Third Seam Bowling Option

Recently, India included Nitish Kumar Reddy for the second Test against the West Indies at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi, even though the pitch offered very little help for seamers. He did not bowl a single over but played a striking cameo with the bat, justifying his selection.

Now, for the Eden Gardens Test, which promises help for seamers due to early winter conditions and a moving pitch, Reddy is being released from the squad. While Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj can make the most of the conditions, India need a third bowler to support them. Otherwise, the team has to bring in a spinner immediately after the pacers’ spell, reducing the pace impact.

Even recent matches at Eden Gardens suggest the need for a third pacer. In two early domestic games in the 2025-26 season, Bengal used four seamers, including Ishan Porel and Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal, who picked up 10 wickets together. They performed well after the new-ball pair, showing the value of having an extra seamer.

2. South Africa Uses Pace All-Rounders Effectively

South Africa has benefited by including pace bowling all-rounders in their team. On practical Indian pitches, they can use all-rounders like Wiaan Mulder and Marco Jansen to give both batting and bowling support.

India already trusts Reddy’s batting ability. He could have been included as the third seamer, giving the team more options. It is better to have him and not need him than to need him and not have him. Even if there is no clear spot in the top six, India could have made it work, similar to South Africa.

3. India Is Breaking Its Promise by Excluding Reddy

Pace bowling all-rounders are rare in home Tests, making Reddy’s inclusion in the West Indies series a positive surprise. He bowled only four overs, while Devdutt Padikkal, a pure batter, sat out, which raised questions.

After that Test, skipper Shubman Gill said the team wanted to groom players for overseas success, not just play them abroad. He said:

“He [Nitish Kumar Reddy] didn't really get to bowl in this match. We don't want players to only play matches overseas. That puts a lot of pressure on the players. We want to groom certain players that we think can help us win matches overseas because that's been a challenge for us.”

However, in the very next home Test, Reddy is not even in the squad, despite having much better conditions to play. If India uses the current combination against South Africa, it will be hard for Reddy to get back into the playing XI, making previous promises about his development meaningless.

Ahead of the 5-match T20I series against Australia (AUS vs IND), starting from October 29, Team India is dealing with multiple injury concerns. Shreyas Iyer and Nitish Kumar Reddy both received injuries during the recently concluded 3-match ODI series. On Sunday, major updates about their injuries arrived. 

Initially, Shreyas Iyer's injury was considered minor, but after the BCCI update, concerns are set to rise high, as the vice-captain of the Team India ODI squad has injured his rib. During the third One Day International match against Australia in Sydney, he was taken to hospital for further treatment, BCCI informed during the match. According to the latest updates published by Cricbuzz, "Shreyas Iyer is being monitored in a Sydney hospital after suffering a rib injury." As of now, it is unknown when the middle-order batter will be fully fit to return to action. 

After the conclusion of the 50-over series, India will face the home team for a 5-match T20I contest where Iyer will not be a part of the squad. But Nitish Kumar Reddy is one of the key members of India's T20I squad, who also picked up an injury. 

Read More: PCB set to sack national head coach after poor performance in white ball cricket

Latest injury updates of Shreyas Iyer and Nitish Kumar Reddy

⚠️India Injury Updates

🔹Shreyas Iyer is being monitored in a Sydney hospital after suffering a rib injury

🔸Nitish Reddy has a quad injury but is expected to be fit for the T20Is #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/OyJHSXfA9v

— Cricbuzz (@cricbuzz) October 26, 2025

Latest reports suggested that the young pace bowling all-rounder has sustained a quad injury; for that, he is now under monitoring. But it is reported that Reddy's injury is not serious and he is expected to be fully fit before the beginning of the bilateral T20I series.

India squad for the T20I series vs Australia: Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill (vice-captain), Tilak Varma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Sanju Samson, Rinku Singh, and Washington Sundar.

India lost the three-match ODI series against Australia after their second defeat at the Adelaide Oval two days ago, having already faced a defeat at the Optus Stadium in Perth in the opening clash. The third and final game of the series at the iconic Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) was a chance for the Blue Brigade to deny the hosts a clean sweep, something which the opposition had never tasted. 

However, the visitors were without their pace bowling all-rounder, Nitish Kumar Reddy, for the clash. He was available for selection in the third fixture as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) shared an update from the medical side, as they keep monitoring the progress of the Andhra player.

See Also: PCB appoints Test captain Shan Masood in massive role of board's administrative power

“Nitish Kumar Reddy sustained a left quadriceps injury during the second ODI in Adelaide and was subsequently unavailable for selection for the third ODI. The BCCI Medical Team is monitoring him daily.” The BCCI posted the statement 13 minutes after the end of the toss.

Nitish Kumar Reddy ruled out of AUS vs IND 3rd ODI in Sydney with quadriceps injury

India faced their 18th successive defeat in the toss in the 50-over format, which has now become a concern, even though these things are not in control of anyone. They made two changes in the playing eleven with the left-arm wrist spinner, Kuldeep Yadav, finally getting his chance in the eleven along with Prasidh Krishna, who replaced Arshdeep Singh, perhaps to keep the latter fresh for the T20I series.

🚨 Update 🚨

Nitish Kumar R eddy sustained a left quadriceps injury during the second ODI in Adelaide and was subsequently unavailable for selection for the third ODI. The BCCI Medical Team is monitoring him on a daily basis.#TeamIndia | #AUSvIND | @NKReddy07 pic.twitter.com/8vBt1f5e5f

— BCCI (@BCCI) October 25, 2025

Australia, meanwhile, resisted the temptation of resting the two quicks, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood. The former has already retired from the shortest format, while Hazlewood would feature in the first three games of the five-match T20I series before preparing himself for the red-ball Sheffield Shield clash ahead of the Ashes 2025-26.

Australia made a strong start with the bat, thanks to the 61-run opening stand in 9.2 overs before Mohammed Siraj drew first blood with the wicket of Travis Head on 29 runs in 25 balls. It was an unusual Sydney surface with stiff bounce on offer while the batters got massive rewards for the shots.

Nitish Kumar Reddy’s first ODI for India in Perth was a personal high and a team low. The 22-year-old all-rounder rescued a rain-affected match with a quick 19 off 11 balls* against Australia, including two sixes that put the crowd on its feet. Even though India lost the match by seven wickets, Reddy's fearless batting was nothing short of a highlight for the visitors throughout the contest.

The emotional moment of the day was the cap presentation ceremony, when former Indian captain Rohit Sharma presented Nitish with his first ODI cap. Rohit appreciated the young player's attitude, work ethic, and bold approach, predicting a rosy future for him in all formats. His words underscored the team's belief in Nitish's potential as a valuable all-rounder.

“Cap No. 260, Nitish Reddy. Welcome to the club. You’ve had a great start to your career, and it’s only because of how you want to play the game and your attitude. I am 110% sure that with that attitude, you are going to go a long way in this Indian team,” Rohit said during the ceremony.

Rohit Sharma Predicts Bright Future for Nitish Reddy

Rohit Sharma went further to predict that Nitish Reddy will excel in all formats of cricket. “You’re going to be an all-format great, which I believe thoroughly because, like you said in your speech yesterday, you want to be everywhere. The team will always support you, and I wish you a great career,” Rohit added.

See Also: Ravichandran Ashwin reveals chat with fake Adam Zampa asking for Indian players’ numbers

On the field, Reddy also bowled 2.1 overs, conceding 16 runs, showing glimpses of his all-round ability. Having already made his Test debut at the same venue last year, he now looks set to become an integral part of India’s cricketing future. While the team lost by seven wickets under Shubman Gill’s captaincy, Reddy’s fearless approach was one of the few positives for India.

The former Indian star player, Dodda Ganesh, has blamed the Indian team management of head coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Shubman Gill during the fourth day of the second Test against the West Indies at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. He slammed the decision of the Blue Brigade not to throw the ball at Nitish Kumar Reddy.

On the eve of the game, India’s coaching staff revealed that they wanted to transform Reddy into a proper pace bowling all-rounder, like a replacement for what Hardik Pandya was anticipated to be in the longest format, for the overseas Test matches. However, Shubman Gill, despite not getting wickets of the West Indies in the second innings, didn’t give a single over to Reddy.

See Also: Ravindra Jadeja writes new international record during IND vs WI 2nd Test in Delhi

“How are you preparing Nitish Reddy for the all-rounder role if you don’t give him bowling at all? #INDvsWI.” Ganesh expressed in a post on X (formerly known as Twitter). Nitish bowled only four overs in the opening encounter at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

Dodda Ganesh slams India’s decision to keep Nitish Reddy out of bowling during IND vs WI 2nd Test

Reddy has overall smashed 343 runs in 13 innings of the longest format at an average of under 30 with a vital century at MCG during the BGT 2024-25. However, he has picked up only eight red-ball wickets and bowled 76 overs in 13 innings. That’s so huge bowling for someone who is expected to be the leading pace bowling all-rounder for a six in overseas games.

In the first innings, Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja shared eight wickets between them as India spent 81.5 overs in the field. Having enforced the follow-on, they spent 118.5 overs in the second innings. Even when they failed to break the century stand for the third wicket, Gill refused to bring Reddy into the attack.

India will play South Africa at home in the next Test series before flying to Sri Lanka next August. However, when they make their trip to New Zealand, Reddy’s contribution will be immense. But he has to be ready by then to bowl long spells and 15+ overs in a day’s play.