N Jagadeesan explains how Mike Hussey helped him overcome rough patch
N Jagadeesan has stated that Chennai Super Kings batting coach Michael Hussey boosted his confidence after a tough phase.
The right-handed batsman put together a run of four consecutive fifties in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, three of them unbeaten, to lead Tamil Nadu’s charge in the tournament. N Jagadeesan is the second-highest run-scorer in the domestic T20 competition with 322 runs.
The success has come on the back of some really tough times. He had scored only 44 runs in three games in the 2019-2020 season for Tamil Nadu. He struggled in the Vijay Hazare Trophy too, managing only 53 runs from four games.
Speaking to The New Indian Express, N Jagadeesan explained how talking with Michael Hussey during IPL 2020 helped him overcome his rough patch.
"More than the technical part, I worked on my mindset towards a game, in terms of preparation and shot selection. I was fortunate to have had a lot of conversations with (Michael) Hussey during the IPL. The changes that he told were not massive but there were many small things to brings out better results. And here, I had many conversations with Dinesh Karthik which helped."
The 25-year-old further added that making his debut for CSK after being benched for two years also aided his cause. According to him, facing top-class bowlers such as Lungi Ngidi and Josh Hazlewood in the nets during the IPL definitely improved his game.
"I and Lungi had many discussions during that time on how I can get better among other things. It was important because you are getting advice from an international bowler who is a notch higher than domestic players," N Jagadeesan added.
Mental training key to success: N Jagadeesan
On the success he has achieved in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, N Jagadeesan explained that mental training has been the key. The 25-year-old, who is averaging 107.33 in the tournament at a strike rate of 147.70, elaborated:
"I trained myself to have a gameplan before every match. It's like connecting every dots, mentally, during preparation. It was more of mental training... how to prepare for a game beforehand rather than just going to the match and reacting to the ball and the situation.”
Tamil Nadu will next take on Rajasthan in the semi-finals of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in Ahmedabad on Friday.