Follow UsIndia faces a dire situation after Rishabh Pant fractured his toe during the Manchester Test on July 24. With Dhruv Jurel deputising, India needs a replacement. Ishan Kishan, a like-for-like option, is out with an ankle injury, leading selectors to reportedly call up Tamil Nadu wicketkeeper-batter Narayan Jagadeesan.
Is this call warranted? Here's what you need to know about India’s newest Test call-up.
The 29-year-old boasts strong red-ball credentials, with 3373 runs, averaging 47.50, scoring 10 hundreds and 14 half-centuries.
Also read: Relearning, rewiring and rewriting history: Jagadeesan’s success mantra
Since the 2023 Ranji Trophy, Jagadeesan has been the top-performing wicketkeeper-batter, scoring 1648 runs at an astounding average of 68.67. His 12 scores of 50 or more are second only to Akshay Wadkar's (13) among wicketkeeper-batters in that period. Apart from that, he also holds the following records:
Highest first-class score for a Tamil Nadu batter
Jagadeesan broke a 35-year-old record when he smashed a 403-ball 321 to surpass WV Raman’s 313. The knock came in the 2024 Ranji Trophy season against Chandigarh, when the right-hander, opening the batting, smashed a counter-attacking knock, with 23 fours and five sixes, striking at 79.65.
Involved in a spectacular 416-run first-wicket record partnership in List A cricket
Jagadeesan and Sai Sudharsan were involved in the highest first-wicket record partnership in List A cricket when the duo smashed 416 runs against Arunachal Pradesh in 2022.
Highest List-A score for a batter
Jagadeesan has the highest List A score, which came during the 416-run partnership with Sudharsan, with a 141-ball 277, with 25 fours and 15 sixes. It is a knock that changed the scene in Indian cricket, making the headlines.
Joint second-fastest 200 in List-A cricket
During his 277, Jagadeesan brought up his double century off just 114 balls, the joint second-fastest to the landmark, alongside Travis Head. While it was the joint-fastest 200 back in 2022, two years later, New Zealand opener Chad Bowes broke the record, smashing a 200 off just 103 balls.
Most consecutive centuries in List A cricket
During the 2022-23 season, Jagadeesan scored 830 runs in eight innings, averaging 138.33, smashing five consecutive centuries, setting a new world record. The Tamil Nadu batter surpassed Kumar Sangakkara, Alviro Petersen, and Devdutt Padikkal’s record in a record-breaking season, where he smashed 31 sixes.
Second-most runs for a wicketkeeper in Ranji (since 2022)
Since 2022, Jagadeesan has the second-most runs for any wicketkeeper in the country, with 2011 runs, where he averages 60.94, with 15 50+ scores. There’s a reason why the Indian selectors went towards Jagadeesan when Kishan was unavailable.
Second-highest individual score for a wicketkeeper batter in Ranji Trophy
It is no surprise that Jagadeesan broke multiple records during his stellar 321 against Chandigarh, which became the second-highest score in Ranji Trophy history for a keeper, only behind Punit Bisht, who scored 343 against Sikkim in the 2018/19 season.
*Creative courtesy: BCCI