Tamil Nadu wicket-keeper batter
Narayan Jagadeesan has received his visa and will leave for England tomorrow (July 27) morning, having been
picked as cover for the injured Rishabh Pant.
Jagadeesan was informed by the selectors about his inclusion in the squad for the ongoing Test series against England on Thursday afternoon. Pant is set to miss the final Test after suffering a toe fracture while attempting a reverse sweep off Chris Woakes on the opening day of the fourth Test. Having initially been taken off the field, he returned a day later to score 54 runs off 75 balls.
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!"There was uncertainty about Jagadeesan's selection initially, as high-profile cricketers like Ishan Kishan were also competing for the same role. However, being picked ahead of Kishan is a major credit for him and it is quite surreal that he'll be representing the Indian team. Jagadeesan has scored double and triple hundreds on a consistent basis with several world records under his belt. We had expected him to make it to the Indian team earlier," a source tracking development
told Timesofindia.com.
"Jagadeesan is a level-headed player who is mentally very strong. That is what has resulted in him going all the way and getting picked in the Indian team. He has put in a lot of hard work and made a lot of sacrifices over the years. Jagadeesan even missed his sister's wedding after being picked for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT), watching the rituals on Skype. He has always been very particular about playing for the country rather than getting distracted by the IPL," he added.
Jagadeesan's coach AG Guruswamy hailed his selection as a significant moment, backing him to make an impact for India.
"It is certainly a big moment as Jagadeesan is the first player from Coimbatore to be called up to the Indian team. He simply follows the process rather than getting impacted by the result. Jagadeesan's discipline and persistence set him apart from others," he stated.
The Indian team has faced several injury concerns during the ongoing tour of England, with Pant emerging as the latest addition to the list.
Pacers Arshdeep Singh and Akash Deep weren't available for the fourth Test due to a thumb injury and a groin niggle, respectively. All-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy is also out of contention for the remaining matches after suffering a knee injury. Pacer Anshul Kamboj was brought in as a late addition to the Indian squad, making his India debut in the ongoing fourth Test.
To make matters worse for the Indian cricket team, already trailing 1-2 in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj appeared to struggle physically on Day 3 of the fourth Test. They were spotted limping and had hobbled off the field of play while also posting low numbers on the speed gun.
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