Jagadeesan confident of taking lead

But the gloom surrounding the team refuses to dissipate as at the completion of the second day’s play, Tamil Nadu is still adrift of MP by 73 runs and has only four wickets in hand. Its plight could have been much worse had it not been for the virtuoso display of the young Jagadeesan who, despite the mayhem of his teammates being evicted from the middle at breakneck speed, kept a steady head and went about his job with supreme confidence. The day’s play ended with him just a stroke away from a well-deserved second century in his career, but the perfect team man that he is, individual records mean little to him.

He fed off the wise counsel of the more senior pro in V Yo Mahesh, who is batting on 44, and the duo has so far added 115 of the most precious runs from Tamil Nadu’s perspective. Their job, as Jagadeesan points out, is only half done and they can only relax after they get past the first hurdle of Madhya Pradesh’s score of 264. 

“Their bowlers especially Ishwar Pandey bowled well and he exploited the good bounce and carry the wicket offered. Our focus is on taking the lead which is crucial. In Yo Mahesh, I have a seasoned partner and we all know that he can bat as he scored that unbeaten hundred against Mumbai in round three,” said Jagadeesan. 

Jagadeesan said he didn’t experience any difficulty opening the batting as that’s the slot he usually bats at in the TNCA first division league. “I like opening. It’s not something that bothers me despite keeping for long hours,” added the ‘keeper. 

TN will hope that Jagadeesan and Yo Mahesh will be at the forefront of staging a comeback of epic proportions.