Jagadeesan’s 197 lights up South Zone’s 536, a run-out ends the epic
Three runs. That’s all that stood between Narayan Jagadeesan and a third double hundred in first-class cricket. The Tamil Nadu wicketkeeper-batter, who had ground North Zone down across sessions, was run-out for 197 after a mix-up with Rickey Bhui in the Duleep Trophy semi-final at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru. The hurt was clear: 352 deliveries faced, 16 fours, three sixes, and then a risky single that wasn’t there.
South Zone still finished with a commanding 536, the sort of first-innings total that shapes knockout matches. The innings was built the old-fashioned way—time at the crease, compact technique, and relentless rotation. Jagadeesan set the tempo early, absorbing pressure and cashing in when North Zone missed lengths. He had walked in averaging 47.5 this season and batted like someone who knew exactly how to win a semifinal: remove doubt, remove rush, and bat on.
He wasn’t alone. Tanmay Agarwal gave South Zone a clean start, making 43 off 99 and helping stitch a century opening stand that took the sting out of the new ball. Devdutt Padikkal then injected pace with a crisp 57 from 71, peppering the ropes with seven fours in a second hundred-run partnership. By the time the ball softened and fields spread, North Zone were already chasing control.
The grind didn’t stop after lunch either. Rickey Bhui’s 54 off 131 was pure investment: an 87-run stand with Jagadeesan that soaked up 194 deliveries. Those were minutes that mattered as North Zone’s bowlers kept plugging away without scoreboard pressure to show for it. When wickets came, they came late, and mostly after the damage had been done.
Day two summed up South Zone’s method. They added 239 runs in 88.2 overs—measured progress, low risk, a team happy to wear down a tired attack. The surface offered little extravagance, so it was about patience and accuracy. Miss your length, and the ball ran away. Stick to it, and you still had to work for every chance.
For North Zone, the bright spot was Nishant Sindhu’s persistence. The left-arm spinner earned his 5 for 125 from 47.2 overs—workhorse numbers on a flat day. He tightened lines when others searched, and his reward was a five-for that kept the innings from ballooning beyond reach. Medium pacer Anshul Kamboj’s 2 for 67 in 24 overs offered control at the other end, but penetration remained limited once the lacquer wore off. South Zone’s discipline meant even good balls were often met with soft hands and late defense.
The moment that flipped the storyline came in a heartbeat. Jagadeesan, on 197, set off for a sharp single that wasn’t quite there. A stutter, a turn, and a clean throw ended four sessions of unflappable concentration. The dismissal carried extra sting because this wasn’t his first brush with 200 heartbreak; he had fallen for 183 back in 2020 before making amends in 2024 with marathon scores of 245* and 321—the latter the highest first-class score by a Tamil Nadu batter.
Strip the emotion away, though, and the innings deserves a place among the standout knocks of the season. It was the kind of innings that shifts fields, scripts days, and sets up bowlers with freedom later. South Zone’s camp would have swapped those last three runs for a bigger first-innings lead in a knockout, and they got that cushion anyway: 536 is a statement total.
What comes next hinges on North Zone’s response. Big totals in semis do two things: they make batters bat twice as long as they want, and they feed close-in catchers. The blueprint for North Zone is straightforward but demanding—neutralize the new ball, deny the spinners easy angles, and bat deep into the third day. The first-innings lead often decides a game if time runs away, and with 536 on the board, South Zone can attack with fields and bowlers in rotation rather than desperation.
There were tactical crumbs worth noting, too. South Zone’s top order attacked the gaps rather than the air, forcing North Zone to defend square on both sides. That opened one side for singles and let Jagadeesan milk the leg-side off spin. When Sindhu dragged his length back, the cut came out; when he tossed it up, the drive and sweep returned. It was situational batting, not slogging.
Bhui’s role was underrated. His 54 didn’t light up the card, but it layered time onto the innings. Partnerships of 100+, 100+, and 87 change fielding energy levels, bowling spells, and captaincy options. By the final session, the margins were slim: tired legs, defensive fields, and low-risk nudges that still ticked the score along.
For the bowlers, the figures tell the story of a hard shift. Sindhu’s five-for was a lesson in patience—angles, subtle drift, and trust in a stump-to-stump plan. Kamboj’s long spells kept the seam option alive without bleeding runs. But on days like this, one loose over every few spells is enough for batters set in the 90s and 150s to cash in.
Zoom out to the wider semifinals picture, and there was another near-miss. West Zone’s captain Ruturaj Gaikwad stroked 184 off 206 in the other semi—15 fours and a six—only to fall short of his own double. Different match, same sigh. The pair of near-200s underlines how exacting these games are: one hesitation, one misread, one sharp catch is all it takes.
Elsewhere: Central Zone steady at 229/2 chasing 438
Across the bracket, Central Zone put up a calm reply to West Zone’s 438, reaching 229 for 2 at stumps. Danish Malewar set the tone up top, while Shubham Sharma (60*) and captain Rajat Patidar (47*) closed the day with polish. The ask is another 209 for a first-innings lead—no small chase, but well within reach if they bat through the morning without damage.
That game has its own rhythm. West Zone need a burst with the older ball or a quick second new ball payoff. Central Zone will aim to lean on Patidar’s tempo control and keep a lid on false shots. On pitches that slow down, the first hour next morning often decides whether the reply flowers or frays.
Back in Bengaluru, the narrative remains about one man who nearly had three more runs to his name. Jagadeesan leaves this innings with numbers and with something less visible: the imprint of control. For South Zone, that might matter more than the three that got away.
- South Zone 536: Jagadeesan 197 (352b, 16x4, 3x6); Padikkal 57 (71b), Agarwal 43 (99b), Bhui 54 (131b)
- North Zone bowling: Nishant Sindhu 5/125 (47.2 ov), Anshul Kamboj 2/67 (24 ov)
- Day two tally: South Zone added 239 in 88.2 overs
- Other semi-final: West Zone 438; Central Zone 229/2 — Shubham Sharma 60*, Rajat Patidar 47*
The semifinals have already delivered two heavyweight knocks and two near-doubles. The margins feel tight, the stakes are obvious, and the next sessions will ask the same question of every batter: how long can you say no?