Duleep Trophy: Jagadeesan misses out on double ton, steady South ends 1st innings on 536

BENGALURU: Narayan Jagadeesan missed out on a well-deserved double hundred by three runs as South Zone reached an imposing first innings score of 536 despite a dull second day in the Duleep Trophy semi-final against North Zone here on Friday.

Starting the day on 297 for three, South Zone nearly batted the entire second day (88.2 overs) and managed only 239 runs while losing the remaining wickets.

Jagadeesan (197, 352 balls) hit 16 boundaries and two sixes before getting run-out. The rest of the South batters never looked like trying to up the ante but did well enough to put up a commendable total.

North batters now have two full days to chase down a target of 537 and book their berth in the final.

At the start of the day, South skipper Mohammed Azharuddeen (11) was dismissed off the second delivery of the day bowled by India medium pacer Anshul Kamboj (2/67 in 24 overs).

However, Ricky Bhui (54 off 131 balls) and Jagadeesan didn’t force the pace during their 87 runs for the fifth wicket which took them 194 deliveries.

Jagadeesan, who had added only three boundaries to his overnight 13 was distinctly unlucky when the burly Bhui sold a dummy to the Tamil Nadu keeper-batter.

He pushed a ball towards point in pursuit of quick single as Jagadeesan sprinted towards the striker’s end only to find the Andhra man rooted to his crease.

In the post-lunch session, Bhui briefly gave the charge, hitting off-spinner Sahil Lotra for a four and a six over long-on.

Hyderabad spinner Tanay Thyagarajan (58 off 116 balls) then found an able ally in Tamil Nadu pacer Gurjapneet Singh (29 off 81 balls) as the duo added a crucial 63 runs for the eighth wicket which took South past the 500-run mark.

Brief scores: South Zone 1st Innings 536 in 169.2 overs (Narayan Jagadeesan 197, Tanay Thyagarajan 58, Nishant Sindhu 5/125) vs North Zone

I stay in the present: Jagadeesan

Narayan Jagadeesan said his surprise India call has not added any pressure on him or changed his perspective about the game or himself.

Jagadeesan was called up to the India squad for the fifth Test against England after Rishabh Pant injured his toe in the fourth Test at Manchester.

“If I’m going to think about that, that’s just added pressure on me. I’m here to just enjoy the sport and make sure that I enjoy each and every match that I get to play.

“I need to be grateful for the opportunity that I’m getting here because there’re a billion people who want to play the Duleep Trophy, Ranji Trophy and, you know, be part of the Indian team.

“So, you know, it’s not just about your own performances, but it is also about how the team combination is and all the other stuff. So, there are a lot of X factors. So, it’s about staying in the present and not thinking about the future,” said Jagadeesan.

The Tamil Nadu wicketkeeper batter said he just needed to take the positives out of getting drafted into the India squad.

“It’s just about enjoying the sport till the day I play. When I got the Indian call-up…I think I need to just take the positives out of it in terms of being more confident,” he added.