CHENNAI: After the loss against Gujarat in the Vijay Hazare Trophy on Thursday, Tamil Nadu captain Vijay Shankar had stated that players must learn from mistakes and rectify them quickly. Taking cue from the skipper, Tamil Nadu’s youth brigade rose to the occasion. N Jagadeesan made 133 and Varun Chakaravarthy took 5/38 to help the team beat Services by 83 runs. Playing his first major tournament of the season, Jagadeesan was spot on. Opening in place of Kaushik Gandhi, the wicketkeeper- batsman hit 17 fours.
His opening stand with Abhinav Mukund was worth 173 in just over 30 overs. “It was a good opportunity for me to play regularly in the absence of DK (Dinesh Karthik). Against Gujarat the wicket was slow and I missed out on runs. Today the wicket was good to bat on and I played my natural game,’’ said Jagadeesan. He had batted at No 6 against Gujarat and made 17. Former Tamil Nadu keeper and selector D Girish explained why Jagadeesan succeeded. “Having been promoted to open, he used the pace of the ball. His shot selection was spot on and he picked gaps nicely. Jags played aggressively at one end and Abhinav held fort at the other.” Varun, who played his second game for Tamil Nadu, believes Vijay Hazare is a learning curve for him.
“Against Gujarat I was a bit nervous because it was my first game. But seniors, coaches and everyone gave me space and I bowled with a good rhythm.” The level of competition in first-class and List A are a bit higher than what he is used to. How did the adjustment come about? “I was aware that the quality will be good. I told myself that I need to be more accurate.” Girish felt accuracy is Varun’s secret of success. “He bowled a good line and length. Plus he had good control.
With every outing he will gain experience and mature into a crafty spinner.” Speaking of craft, Varun revealed it takes him a lot of time to master one variation. “I don’t bowl my leg cutters regularly. I use them only when the batsman tries to hit me. It takes me about six months to master one variation.” ashok.v@newindianexpress.com