It was as if Jagadeesan had locked up his imperious self from the last Ranji Trophy season, as he played a low-risk and supremely assured knock (67 batting, 126b, 8×4) and added 124 for an unbroken first-wicket stand with skipper Abhimanyu Easwaran (51 batting, 91b, 4×4, 1×6).
The partnership helped India-B mount a fightback in reply to India-C’s mammoth 525 on day two of the second-round Duleep Trophy match at the Rural Development Trust (RDT) Stadium B-ground on Friday.
India-C was hampered, though, as its pace spearhead Sandeep Warrier walked off the field with an apparent injury.
Sandeep ran in to bowl the second ball of his second over and pulled up holding his left leg. The physio was brought out to have a look.
Jagadeesan hit a straight four off medium-pacer Anshul Kamboj and later pulled him for a four to deep backward square leg. He also pulled leg-spinner Mayank Markande for a four to the deep square leg boundary.
The most striking aspect of Jagadeesan’s batting was the way he manoeuvred the ball for quick singles. (26), doubles (3), and even a triple.
Easwaran hit a huge six to cow corner and paddle-swept to fine-leg for a four off left-arm spinner Manav Suthar. He pulled a short delivery off Kamboj for four to deep backward square-leg.
Earlier, India-C’s Manav Suthar hung in for his 82 (156b, 11×4, 3×6). Anshul Kamboj played a cameo (38, 27b, 5×4, 2×6) to add 55 runs with him for the eighth wicket.
Manav hit two long-on sixes, one each off left-arm spinner Sai Kishore and leg-spinner Rahul Chahar. The one off Chahar was an on-the-charge out-of-the-ground hit that helped him move to 48.
Kamboj hit a straight six off Sai Kishore, and a ball later hit a six again off the same bowler out of the ground over long-on.
India-C skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad (58, 74b, 9×4, 2×6), who was unbeaten on 46 overnight, brought up his fifty with a crackling cover-drive for four off pacer Navdeep Saini on the first over of the day.
But he was soon beaten on the outside edge to be bowled by Mukesh with a delivery that hit the top of off-stump. Mukesh and Chahar finished with four wickets each.
The scores:
India-C — 1st innings: Ruturaj Gaikwad b Mukesh 58, Sai Sudharsan c Saini b Mukesh 43, Rajat Patidar b Saini 40, Ishan Kishan b Mukesh 111, B. Indrajith b Chahar 78, Abishek Porel lbw b Mukesh 12, Manav Suthar b Chahar 82, Mayank Markande b Nitish 17, Anshul Kamboj b Chahar 38, Vijaykumar Vyshak c Easwaran b Chahar 12, Sandeep Warrier (not out) 11; Extras (b-4, lb-7, w-7, nb-5): 23; Total (in 124.1 overs): 525.
Fall of wickets: 1-96, 2-97, 3-286, 4-311, 5-345, 6-382, 7-406, 8-461, 9-489.
India-B bowling: Mukesh 32-4-126-4, Saini 23-3-101-1, Washington 18-1-67-0, Nitish 17-2-69-1, Sai Kishore 18-2-78-0, Rahul Chahar 16.1-2-73-4.
India-B — 1st innings: Abhimanyu Easwaran (batting) 51, N. Jagadeesan (batting) 67; Extras (b-4, lb-1, nb-1): 6; Total (for no loss in 36 overs): 124.
India-C bowling: Warrier 1.1-0-8-0, Vyshak 10-2-29-0, Kamboj 8.5-2-30-0, Markande 6-0-18-0, Suthar 10-0-34-0.
Published – September 14, 2024 12:07 am IST
