Duleep Trophy | N Jagadeesan: ‘Time spent in Indian dressing room on England tour was beneficial’

Bengaluru: On a warm Friday afternoon, as his teammates were busy with lunch, South Zone opener N Jagadeesan walked barefoot around the boundary, chomping on a piece of carrot, lost in thought. He probably needed that ‘me-time’ to let go of the disappointment of missing out on a double century by three runs. He had batted for 507 minutes across nearly four sessions. It didn’t take long for Jagadeesan’s smile to return, but probably that’s the kind of person he is — he is used to moving on and adapting to circumstances in his nine-year career. He has batted at different positions for both the state and in the TNPL, owning the positions with conviction.Consistency is another trait that has held the Tamil Nadu batter in good stead. In the previous two Ranji seasons, Jagadeesan has scored 1490 runs (816 in 2023-24 and 674 in 2024-25), has been steady behind the wickets and assumed the responsibility of a senior member of the TN team. On the strength of these performances, he made it to England recently as a replacement for an injured Rishabh Pant for the fifth Test. Although Dhruv Jurel did the duties behind the stumps, Jagadeesan believes the experience with the Indian team was valuable.“It was a really good experience to be there and to experience what was going on in the fifth Test, which turned out to be a thriller. The conditions were something I was actually looking forward to because it’s not that often you go and play in England. I think I gained a bit, just with the conditions over there. It’s very important for me not to get overwhelmed. I’ve fought my way to go there. It’s important for me to believe in what I’ve done personally,” he said.Asked if England changed his perspective, Jagadeesan stated, “Not really. From the India call-up, I need to just take the positives in terms of being more confident. It’s something which a lot of people dream of being part of.”