Tamil Nadu wicketkeeper and opener N. Jagadeesan debuted in the Duleep Trophy when he stepped on the field for India-B in the second-round match versus India-C at the Rural Development Trust (RDT) Stadium B-ground on Thursday.
It was his first-ever First Class match outside the Ranji Trophy. He was part of the South Zone squad that clinched the title last season, but didn’t get to play. Even in the ongoing edition, he didn’t get to play the first round.
So, how did he feel when he got to know that he’ll be making his debut?
“It was definitely a very good feeling. It’s because you would always want to be a part of a Duleep Trophy side. Last year, when I was there with my squad, we went on to win the tournament. From that moment onwards, I always thought that next time I should also make my debut. And when I got to know that I’ll be playing, I obviously was very elated about it. I was very eager to go out and just enjoy the game.
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“I didn’t have the experience of playing any other First Class game. It was just the Ranji Trophy, which I played for Tamil Nadu. So, for the first time when I stepped onto the field, it felt good. It was a different experience. Because, personally, I knew that it was something I was doing for the first time outside of Tamil Nadu cricket,” said the 28-year-old over phone on Sunday.
He looked set to bring up his maiden Duleep Trophy hundred, before he was caught behind off Anshul Kamboj on 70 (137b, 8x4). Though he was “very disappointed” by it, a takeaway for him was the way he’d overcome the debut jitters to play his natural game.
“To be honest, I was feeling a bit nervous in the beginning. It was during my keeping. But the moment I got to know nine wickets had fallen (of the opposition) and probably I’d be batting soon, I think I was just focused a lot more on my batting. I was just thinking of all the (batting) routines that I do. Once I started thinking that, I wasn’t nervous at all.
“The moment I stepped down to the boundary line with my pads on, I just told myself one thing: ‘You don’t have to worry about anything. You’ve always wanted to make your debut. You’ve made your debut. Now, just go and enjoy yourself out there.’ And after playing the first ball, I just felt I was very confident,” he said.
Jagadeesan highlighted a remarkable feature of the ongoing Duleep Trophy edition. “We have seen a lot of Duleep Trophies, and I think this Duleep Trophy has seen a lot of international players playing the games. Playing with them in such close quarters, you get to learn a lot.”
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