N. Jagadeesan has the highest individual score for Tamil Nadu in List A cricket (277 vs Arunachal Pradesh). On Saturday, the 28-year-old opener etched his name in the record book in First-Class cricket again when he made a brilliant 321 against Chandigarh on day two of the Ranji Trophy clash here at the Sri Ramakrishna College ground.
Jagadeesan’s feat helped him move past W.V. Raman’s record for the highest individual score by a Tamil Nadu player in the format when the former India opener made 313 against Goa in 1988.
His 321 (403b, 23x4, 5x6) helped TN amass 610 for four in its first innings and ended up with a humongous lead of 499 before the hosts declared towards the fag end of the day.
“It feels really good, but the record is a byproduct of what I have been trying to do in terms of discipline I had while playing. I was clear about what I needed to do,” said Jagadeesan.
“It is good when people say you have the record, but people will forget it tomorrow, or if I don’t score runs in three matches, no one will think about this. So, I want to stay in the present and be the same way I have been. I have learnt a lot from my failures. Whenever we step on the field, it is a new day, and you have to approach every game as your last game,” he added.
When asked about what his abiding memory of this knock will be, Jagadeesan said, “It is the discipline I showed. Getting a triple-century is not something people would have imagined from me. I am someone who plays my shots, but this innings was a mix of attacking cricket and looking to rotate the strike.
“I think the fact that I was looking to play for such a long time is something I will look back on and tell myself that I am capable of doing it.”
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He was well-supported by Pradosh Ranjan Paul (105, 151b, 13x4, 1x6), who completed his hundred in the morning session. Later, B. Indrajith (123, 144b, 11x4) also helped himself to another fine century as he added 280 runs for the third wicket with Jagadeesan, piling on the misery for the visitors.
He started the day’s proceedings by putting away flicking pacer Hartejasvi Kapoor off his pads for easy boundaries and then took on the spinners. He got to his 150, collecting two boundaries off Arpit Singh and then lofted leggie M. Ashwin for a six. After lunch, he brought his second double-century in as many matches in style by lofting Arpit over long-on.
While the attack was hardly threatening, allowing him to play scintillating shots to the fence, Jagadeesan showed excellent game awareness in turning over the strike and ran hard even towards the end of a long, hot day. In Indrajith, he found a partner who was equally at home in working the ball into the gaps, and the duo did not break a sweat to keep the scoreboard ticking.
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Once he got in, Indrajith cut loose with pulls, late cuts and cover drives against the spinners to race to his century.
The Chandigarh bowlers looked flat and did not exert control, giving too many loose deliveries that were duly dispatched to the ropes.
The spread-out field and drooped shoulders meant Jagadeesan had no trouble surpassing his highest score and got to his maiden triple-century with a brace through the off-side to become only the fourth TN batter to enter the 300-club.
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