Tamil Nadu wicketkeeper-batter Narayan Jagadeesan played a defining knock but eventually fell just three runs short of completing his double century in the ongoing Duleep Trophy 2025 semi-final match against North Zone.
Facing 352 deliveries, the right-hander scored 197 runs, including 16 boundaries and two maximums.
Earlier, he received a call-up to Team India during the fifth Test match against England. Jagadeesan got his break when he was sent to London as an injury replacement for Rishabh Pant. Although he did not get a chance to showcase his skillset, his inclusion marked his first stint with the national team.
In the Duleep Trophy, he registered a century opening stand with Tanmay Agarwal, who scored 43 runs off 99 balls, a knock laced with five boundaries. Jagadeesan then partnered with Devdutt Padikkal, who added 57 runs off 71 deliveries, including seven fours.
Jagadeesan was cruising with consummate ease toward his third 200-plus score in first-class cricket, having already breached the mark in 2024 with an unbeaten 245. A week later, he smashed a monumental 321 to become Tamil Nadu’s highest individual scorer in first-class cricket.
His brilliant innings on the second day eventually ended when Nishant Sandhu ran him out, forcing Jagadeesan to return to the dressing room on 197 (352). He had previously fallen short of the mark during his first attempt in 2020, when he was dismissed 17 runs short of a double ton.
With another mammoth score, Jagadeesan continues to build on the success he enjoyed in the last Ranji Trophy season, where he amassed 674 runs at an average of 56.
Apart from him, Ruturaj Gaikwad slammed a knock of 184 runs off 206 deliveries. His innings featured 15 boundaries and one maximum. Like the Tamil Nadu-born Jagadeesan, Gaikwad also missed out on completing his double century. His century came in the other semi-final of the 2025 Duleep Trophy, played between West Zone and Central Zone.
Gaikwad’s century marked his eighth ton in first-class cricket. While Jagadeesan and Gaikwad delivered big knocks, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shreyas Iyer failed to impress with the bat.
(With ANI inputs)