Meet Narayan ‘Record Breaker’ Jagadeesan

While the opener continues to pile up runs under his belt, he isn’t mindful of the achievements he racks up during his stay on the strip. “When I walk out to bat, I have never really thought about it. But when you get the news that you have done something, it is obviously good,” Jagadeesan told DT Next.

The rival bowlers have found Dragons’ first wicket pair, comprising Jagadeesan and C Hari Nishanth, a tough nut to crack. The duo has already registered two century stands in the ongoing edition of the TNPL. Having come through the ranks together, the left-right combination is setting the tournament alight with its shrewd shot-making.

“We were part of the same league team in Kovai. We then went on to represent our District and State. We go to the same academy as well, so that makes it easier for both of us. We just try to complement each other as much as possible and have talks in the middle,” Jagadeesan is relishing the partnership with his long-time friend.

After a successful red-ball stint on English soil, Ravichandran Ashwin flew all the away from Nottingham to Natham to make himself available. The change in the colour of the ball hasn’t stopped him from shining as his ‘Yellow Army’ has thus far beaten its adversaries black and blue.

And the wicketkeeper is delighted to feature alongside the India international. “It’s always a pleasure to play under a cricketer who has got so much experience. He has already faced lots of situations before and knows what to do at that moment,” said Jagadeesan, who was part of the Chennai Super Kings squad in the Indian Premier League 2018 and 2019.

Dragons, owned by TAKE Solutions, came perilously close to bagging the TNPL trophy in 2018, falling at the hands of Madurai Panthers in the summit clash. Jagadeesan believes DD, which has been on a rampage, will go one step further in TNPL 4. “Right from the start of our pre-season, we have had the motive of winning the title. We will definitely fight for it. We have been doing quite well so far and hopefully, we can continue the same way.”

The 23-year-old’s WhatsApp bio reads “Work until your idols become your rivals”. Asked if he has already accomplished that, the Tamil Nadu player responded, “It (the status) has been there for a long time, it’s just a sentence which I like (laughs). No matter who you look up to, you got to replace them at some point of time and be the best in the business. That is what I want to do.”