Age no bar for dashing Jagadeesh
By : kevin kishore
Update: 2013-12-28 17:56 GMT
Kochi: For cricketer VA Jagadeesh, 2013 has been a special year. It took almost 10 years for the seasoned opener from Kerala to find his best form. Amidst several high-performing youngsters, the 30-year-old made his own mark to even get an India –A call-up.
So what was the reason for the new-found confidence and form? “I think cricket is a game where age is an extra bonus in your career, if you use it wisely. And maybe this belief helped me to use my nine years of experience in first-class cricket and bring out a solid performance in 2013,” said Jagadeesh.
“This year was my best season and I am proud to play like this. I was able to catch up with the present set of youngsters, who broke into the squad with bountiful talents and it was a hard test for me. But I had belief in myself and it helped me to be the best run getter in the last season,” he said.
A peep into the statistics will give a better picture of his form. Jagadeesh was the highest run-getter for Kerala in the previous season in all the formats and all over the country he clinched the fifth spot.
In the previous Ranji Trophy season, he amassed 871 runs, including four centuries in eight matches and scored his career high of 199 not out against Services. In the 50-over format Vijay Hazare Trophy, he acted as the mainstay of the team, helping the Kerala team reach the semifinal for the first time in history. He gathered 271 runs in the seven matches in that tourney. In the Syed
Musthaq Ali T20 Trophy, he scored 271 runs in nine matches and there too, Kerala broke its own record by reaching the last four for the first time.
“Everything happened well for me in the last season. My confidence was highest, I was fit and my form was at its peak. I think age has helped me to gain experience and apply myself to the game entirely. My dream is to play until I can and I don’t worry about age. It is not at all a factor, all you have to have is the right mindset,” he opined.
Jagadeesh’s brilliance in opening was also evident in his first international match for India- A team against New Zealand – A held in Visakhapatnam as he scored 91 runs and he kept the hopes of selectors alive by scoring 86 runs against West Indies – A team. He only played three matches in the tour.
The performance was a reflection of his peak form, which the 30-year-old Kerala opener has been maintaining for the past two seasons in various formats.
Jagadeesh hopes for a better future and harbors dreams of playing in the IPL, which he missed by a whisker last season. “Though our performance in the Ranji Trophy was not up to the mark, we are waiting for the limited over tourneys to start. This year I aim for an even better performance and dream to be part of the mega-event,” he says.