Tamil Nadu’s Jagadeesan smashes record 277
MUMBAI: On a record-breaking spree in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, Tamil Nadu’s N Jagadeesan hammered 277 (141 balls) against Arunachal Pradesh at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Monday to register the highest individual score in List A cricket while becoming the first batter in history to score five successive List A centuries.
The previous highest individual score in men’s List A cricket was 268 by Alistair Brown against Glamorgan in 2002. In Indian domestic cricket, Prithvi Shaw’s unbeaten 227 against Pondicherry in 2021 was the top score. As for most centuries in a row, three batters had four centuries in a row—kumar Sangakkara in 2014-15, Alviro Petersen in 2015-16 and Devdutt Padikkal in 2020-21.
While the opening batter’s double hundred came against Arunachal Pradesh, his previous four hundreds had come against seasoned teams: Andhra (114*), Chhattisgarh (107), Goa (168) and Haryana (128).
“I had no clue that I had broken the record. After I got out, I got to know. I was more focussed on the process. Some positive vibe. Seek the positive vibe. Just about my routines. It doesn’t matter if I get a 100 or a 200,” the 26-year-old Jagadeesan said after the day’s play.
After scoring a hundred (123) on his Ranji Trophy debut, against Madhya Pradesh, six seasons ago, it has taken time for Jagadeesan to produce an impactful performance like this time, where he has made everyone sit up and take notice. Only last week, he had the disappointment of being released by IPL franchise Chennai Super Kings where he spent four years, mostly warming the bench.
“That’s not in my control. It was their (CSK) choice and not mine. It doesn’t change the way I play. Whether I get picked or not, it doesn’t matter. I am in a mindset where if I am not picked, I will go and work on myself for the next two or three months to become a better cricketer,” said Jagdeesan while adding that it was an eye-opener, “Since then, I haven’t been thinking about any of the results.
Before that, I put myself under pressure. I wanted to score runs. Somewhere along that path, I forgot to enjoy myself. Now, I am learning how to do that again.”
In the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy, Jagadeesan is the leading scorer with 799 runs in six matches at an average of 159.80.
It is an impressive turnaround after a mediocre Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy where he managed just 118 runs in six innings at a strike rate of 129.50.
Speaking on what helped him to raise his game, he said: “Overall, it all comes down to preparation and how I approach each and every game. The main thing for me was to step on the ground for each and every game with the same attitude, whether you score runs or not.”
It was quite a hectic day for the scorers and the statisticians. Among the many records broken were, Tamil Nadu (506/2) becoming the first team to score 500-plus runs in men’s List A cricket and the 435-win margin by runs is also the biggest win in terms of runs in men’s List A.
Mumbai keep knockout hopes alive
Mumbai beat Pondicherry by nine wickets in their Group E match of the Vijay Hazare Trophy on Monday to keep their hopes alive of qualifying for the knockouts.
Mumbai skittled out Pondicherry for 139 before chasing the target in 24.2 overs. Yashasvi Jaiswal continued with his fine run in the tournament to score a 77-ball 73 to see Mumbai home.
Mumbai, who have 12 points from five matches, will have to beat Railways in their final match on Wednesday to pip Bengal for a place in the pre-quarters on better run-rate. Bengal have finished their quota of matches and have 16 points but their net run-rate is inferior to Mumbai’s. Maharashtra are topping the group with 20 points from five games.
Brief scores: Pondicherry 139 in 38 overs (Ankit Sharma 79*; Shams Mulani 3/45) lost to
141/1 in 24.2 overs (Yashasvi Jaiswal 73, Prithvi Shaw 39) by nine wickets
Harris Shield: All players clear overage test
The steps taken by Mumbai
Schools Sports Associations (MSSA) to tackle age fraud in inter-school cricket tournaments are starting to show results. None of the 107 players from eight school teams participating in this year’s Super League stage of the Harris Shield were found to be overage during the bone test conducted at the weekend.
“The TW3 bone test was conducted at the Reliance Foundation Hospital in Girgaon on Saturday and Sunday. The results came in today (Monday). We are happy that due to our strict rules, the schools are not fielding overage players,” said Nadim Memon, MSSA cricket secretary.
It is mandatory for the teams participating in the super league to undergo age verification test. Last year, the Harris Shield was conducted in a knockout manner for 16 teams and 32 players from 10 schools were found to be overage. In the super league, eight teams are divided in two groups of four with the group winners clashing in the final.