"It was their choice to release me, that was not in my control" - Narayan Jagadeesan on CSK
Tamil Nadu opener Narayan Jagadeesan reacted to his release from Chennai Super Kings ahead of the IPL 2023 auction.
Jagadeesan recently made headlines following his 141-ball 277 against Arunachal Pradesh in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy 2022.
On November 15, the four-time IPL champions released a total of eight players from their squad while submitting the retention list before the IPL 2023 auction.
Narayan Jagadeesan, who played seven matches for CSK from 2020 to 2022, was one of the eight players released by the franchise.
Speaking to South First in an interview on being dropped from the CSK squad, the Tamil Nadu batter said:
"That is something that was not in my control. It was their choice (to release me) and it wasn’t mine. All I could do was control the controllables, that is me playing cricket. So, I was just keen and focused on that."
Tamil Nadu’s Narayan Jagadeesan becomes the first ever cricketer to score 5 consecutive centuries in List A cricket 🔥
📸: BCCI
#crickettwitter #india https://t.co/tQvW61QugO
"I wasn’t aware of it" - Narayan Jagadeesan on breaking several List A records
During Tamil Nadu's match against Arunachal Pradesh at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, Jagadeesan scored 277 off 114 balls, and his innings was laced with 25 boundaries and 15 sixes.
The 26-year-old set the record for the highest List A individual score. The previous best score was held by former Surrey batter Alistair Brown (268) against Glamorgan in 2002.
He became the first batter in List A to score centuries in five consecutive innings. Kumar Sangakkara (2015), Alviro Petersen (2015), and Devdutt Padikkal (2021) are the only three batters to hit four List A centuries in a row.
Narayan Jagadeesan and his TN opening partner B Sai Sudharsan recorded the highest partnership - 416 - for any wicket in the List A format. Chris Gayle and Marlon Samuels previously held the record for their 372-run stand for the second wicket against Zimbabwe in the 2015 World Cup.
🏻🫡
A Star is Born 🤩
Narayan Jagadeesan becomes the highest run-scorer in an innings in the history of list A cricket 🙌🏻🫡
#crickettwitter #india #listA https://t.co/dvhXF2EF7j
Narayan Jagadeesan has scored 822 runs in seven innings at an average of 164.40, including five straight centuries. The Tamil Nadu opener is just six runs shy of breaking Mumbai player Prithvi Shaw's 827-run tally in the 2020-21 season.
Speaking about his mindset after shattering several records at the international level, Narayan Jagadeesan said:
"I wasn’t aware of it. And I don’t think I would be focussed on that. I think it’s very important for me to stay in the present and keep doing the same things again and again, and try and help my team win."
The Coimbatore-born player has aspirations to wear the Indian team shirt someday but currently wants to concentrate on helping his state team win the trophy.
The 26-year-old said:
"For any cricketer in India, the ultimate goal is to be part of the Indian team. Honestly, I am not even thinking about that. I am playing this tournament and I am just focussing on what is coming up."
He added:
"I am just trying to stay in the present, so I am not thinking about that stuff. It is just about preparing for the next match that is coming up."
Tamil Nadu's final Group C fixture against Kerala in Bengaluru was washed away by rain in the second innings. The Baba Indrajith-led team topped Elite Group C with five wins in seven games and eventually qualified for the knockout stages.