N. Jagadeesan, the Tamil Nadu batsman, continued his love affair with his home ground, the Sri Ramakrishna College Ground, on day two of the Ranji Trophy (Elite Group D) match against Saurashtra. He hammered his third First-Class century, putting his team firmly in the driver’s seat. This remarkable feat came on the back of a brilliant 172-run partnership between Jagadeesan and his opening partner, B. Sai Sudharsan, who contributed a well-crafted 82 runs.
The duo’s partnership was instrumental in helping Tamil Nadu take the crucial first-innings lead. By the end of the day’s play, Tamil Nadu finished on 278 for three, boasting a comfortable 75-run advantage over Saurashtra. The overcast morning conditions provided the perfect backdrop for the batsmen to showcase their skills. They exhibited discipline and a positive intent against the new ball, freely scoring runs against the wayward Saurashtra pacers.
Sai Sudharsan set the tone right from the start, flicking the first ball of the day from Jaydev Unadkat to the square-leg fence. Jagadeesan, not to be outdone, responded by hitting three boundaries in quick succession through the off-side. Jagadeesan, the Tamil Nadu vice-captain, showcased his adaptability, displaying restraint when the bowlers aimed for the wide line outside off-stump, while effectively employing cuts and sweeps to regularly find the boundary.
At the other end, Sai Sudharsan took on the left-arm spinner Dharmendrasinh Jadeja, punishing him with two boundaries in an over. The first of these boundaries brought up his half-century. A defining aspect of their partnership was their relentless running between the wickets. They continuously challenged the fielders, stealing twos and threes, even if it meant taking a few close calls.
Sai Sudharsan’s luck unfortunately ran out when he attempted to pinch a single and fell short of his crease while trying to make it back to his end, thanks to a brilliant direct hit from Cheteshwar Pujara.
Jagadeesan, approaching his 80s, stepped up the tempo, launching Navneet Vora for two boundaries before lofting left-arm spinner Prashwaraj Rana over mid-on. He achieved his ninth First-Class century with a brace through point off Unadkat. Sadly, Jagadeesan’s innings ended on the very next ball when he was caught behind, but his knock had brought his team dangerously close to surpassing Saurashtra’s first-innings total.
Scoreboard:
Saurashtra-1st innings:
Harvik Desai c Jagadeesan b Sonu Yadav 0,
Chirag Jani c Shahrukh b Mohammed 34,
Prashwaraj Rana c Boopathi b Mohammed 15,
Cheteshwar Pujara b Sai Kishore 16,
Sheldon Jackson c Shahrukh b Mohammed 21,
Arpit Vasavada (not out) 62,
Prerak Mankad c Jagadeesan b Sai Kishore 20,
Dharmendrasinh Jadeja c Boopathi b Pradosh 6,
Jaydev Unadkat lbw b Sai Kishore 21,
Yuvrajsinh Dodiya c Jagadeesan b Sonu Yadav 1,
Navneet Vora b Sonu Yadav 0;
Extras (b-4, w-1, nb-2): 7;
Total (in 77 overs): 203
Fall of wickets:
1-7, 2-50, 3-51, 4-88, 5-88, 6-131, 7-149, 8-191, 9-203Tamil Nadu bowling:
Gurjapneet 16-3-46-0,
Sonu Yadav 15-3-30-3,
Mohammed 16-6-38-3,
Sai Kishore 22-5-54-3,
Shahrukh 4-0-16-0,
Pradosh 4-0-15-1
Tamil Nadu-1st innings:
B. Sai Sudharsan (run out) 82,
N. Jagadeesan c Harvik b Unadkat 100,
Pradosh Ranjan Paul (batting) 45,
B. Indrajith c (sub) b Unadkat 40,
M. Boopathi Vaishna Kumar (batting) 0;
Extras (lb-8, w-1, nb-2): 11;
Total (for three wkts in 89 overs): 278
Fall of wickets:
1-172, 2-196, 3-269.Saurashtra bowling:
Unadkat 17-3-48-2,
Vora 12-4-34-0,
Jani 15-5-31-0,
Mankad 6-0-20-0,
Dharmendrasinh 18-2-68-0,
Dodiya 15-0-50-0,
Rana 6-2-19-0.
