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A recent post on N Jagadeesan's Twitter profile reads "The two most powerful warriors are patience and time." For a man who has played only two innings for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) across four Indian Premier League (IPL) seasons, the statement couldn't be truer.
Since marking his first-class debut with a century and the Man of the Match award, Jagadeesan has been beyond prolific for the most part of five years. In the 2021 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, he finished as the leading run-scorer with 364 runs as Tamil Nadu clinched the title. Even in the 2021 Vijay Hazare Trophy, which ended in bitter disappointment on a collective level, he was the team's leading run-scorer.
But a regular IPL spot and a call-up to the national 'A' team have eluded Jagadeesan so far, despite him churning out performance after performance in domestic cricket and in the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL). Runs, runs and more runs is the mantra for him to crack the code and finally don the India blue.
"My ambition is to play for India. India 'A' is another step in that journey. To put it simply, India 'A' is my short-term goal and India is my long-term goal. Playing for India 'A' has always been in my head, and I just have to keep performing and knock down the door," says Jagadeesan in an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda.
Jagadeesan's burning desire to play for the Indian cricket team isn't hidden. But he has another goal, a noble one at that, to bring a Ranji Trophy title to Tamil Nadu. The state has two Ranji trophies in its cabinet but the most recent one came in 1987-88, which itself was a season that saw a 33-year wait for the title come to an end.
"There are a couple of goals for every cricketer in Tamil Nadu and around the world. One is to play for your country and the other is to lift a Ranji Trophy for Tamil Nadu. Scoring runs are part of the process. I'm a professional cricketer, so I'm born to score runs in each and every game I play. So everything else I'll take it in my stride," Jagadeesan outlines.
"It definitely comes down to work ethic and preparation. No matter what you do, you will have your downfalls. The 2019-20 domestic season was horrific for me, and I've gone through the downs. I've learnt a lot when I haven't scored runs, about mindset. For you to be consistent, you need to know what you've been doing well when you're performing," he adds.
"Mr. TNPL" Jagadeesan has his say on the significance of the tournament
With 1,240 runs in the TNPL, Jagadeesan is the leading run-getter in the history of the tournament. In the 2019 edition, he tallied 448 runs at an average of 64 and a strike rate of 137.42. The youngster's metronomic consistency in the league has led to the well-deserved moniker "Mr. TNPL".
"A lot of credit has to go to the TNPL. Before the TNPL, I had played about four matches of competitive T20 cricket. All of a sudden, you're playing in front of cameras and people. So the pressure you feel is completely different. It taught me about how to stay in the present moment when you bat when so much is going on around you," reveals Jagadeesan.
Jagadeesan points out how important it is to have tunnel vision, where the only things in focus are the ball and the bowler. The simplicity with which he approaches his batting, a telltale sign of a clear-headed individual, immediately impresses the listener.
"The first time you play the TNPL, it's so hard for you to focus on the bowler and the ball. If you don't watch the ball, you're going to get out. Because all of a sudden, you see things that are happening around you. Everything has been a great learning curve for me, right from the TNPL," he adds.
Jagadeesan has been part of the Dindigul Dragons since the inaugural season of the TNPL. He will welcome a change of scenery in 2021, as he will turn out for two-time champions Chepauk Super Gillies alongside CSK teammate R Sai Kishore. However, the competition has been indefinitely postponed due to rising COVID-19 cases in Tamil Nadu.
"When it comes to franchise cricket, this is the first time that I'm shifting teams. But no matter where I go, the process and the agenda are the same. You need to bat, you need to keep and you need to do the best for your team. At CSG, there are a lot of people I'm close with. We're already talking about how things are going to be, and I think it's going to be a good season if it happens," believes Jagadeesan.
Interestingly, one of the four proposed venues for TNPL 2021 was the SNR Sons Ground in Coimbatore. The ground has undergone a massive revamp over the past few years and now serves as a beacon for aspiring cricketers in the city. Jagadeesan and C Hari Nishaanth, who have played together since they were nine years old, represented Coimbatore at the IPL level this year as part of CSK.
"Yeah. A lot of credit has to go to the administration and ground staff. A ground in Coimbatore is long due, since we've been producing so many cricketers in the first division and the first-class team as well. There were turf grounds everywhere, but not in Coimbatore. Since we have it now, it's a great boost for the district and I'm sure a lot of cricketers will have more attraction towards the game," Jagadeesan outlines.
"I've always loved captaincy" - Jagadeesan ready to welcome leadership role
Jagadeesan was appointed Tamil Nadu's vice-captain for the 2021 white-ball season, which saw the team exceed all expectations in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Confident in his game and composed at the helm, the 25-year-old welcomes the thought of a leadership role with open arms.
"I've always been a captain for every team I've played, right from state cricket. I've always loved captaincy. It was a great season for us in white-ball cricket under Dinesh Karthik. The way he led the side helped us win the tournament. And me being the vice-captain, I was able to go deep down and understand what's going on behind the scenes. You have access to that when you're the vice-captain and you know everything that's happening in the team," he says.
Leadership isn't the only new role Jagadeesan has undertaken. With MS Dhoni and Dinesh Karthik donning the gloves for CSK and Tamil Nadu respectively, he's often had to relinquish the gloves and throw himself about in the field.
"It's a bit difficult for me [laughs]. I've been behind the stumps for my whole career, and all of a sudden, I'm standing in other spots. It took me so long to adjust and even now, I'm not at my best. The angles the ball comes at you, the differences in spin on the ball. To get adjusted and to anticipate, I'm still learning. I prefer keeping," Jagadeesan quips.
Jagadeesan leaves us with an interesting insight. He is of the opinion that the upper echelons of cricket place more emphasis on mentality than technique, which certainly still holds relevance in age-group and first-class cricket.
"Everybody's got their own technique. When you start playing cricket, it comes down to technique. But when you go up the ladder and you're there at the highest level, I don't think your technique matters a lot. When you're there in an IPL team, it all comes down to mentality. It's just about how people prepare," he signs off.
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