MS Dhoni Gave Me Lots of Advice When I Was in CSK; Looking Forward to Play for KKR - Narayan Jagadeesan

Tamil Nadu wicketkeeper batter Narayan Jagadeesan said that he is happy to be part of the Kolkata Knight Riders franchise and is looking forward to giving his best for them. The 27-year-old was in imperious form during Vijay Hazare Trophy this season where he scripted history by scoring 277 – the highest List A score. He smashed five consecutive centuries to lit up the tournament and make a case for himself ahead of the mini IPL auction after Chennai Super Kings released him.

He scored 830 runs in 8 Vijay Hazare matches this season at a sublime average of 138.33 which made everyone talk about him before the auction. Interestingly, Jagadeesan wasn’t at his best before the Vijay Hazare Trophy as he struggled a bit in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. He failed to score big in the T20 tournament and ended up with 118 runs in 6 innings.

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Jagadeesan suggested that the SMAT was a low-scoring tournament but there was a mental shift when he entered Vijay Hazare which worked well in his favour.

“I played the same game. In the T20 tournament it was a difficult wicket. It was a low scoring tournament. There was, of course, a mental shift, I had a more positive attitude in the ODI,” Jagadeesan told Rediff.

He also refused to talk much about getting released by Chennai Super Kings ahead of the auction.

“The question should be directed to CSK. I am not looking forward to it. I am working on my game and trying to improve on it,” said Jagadeesan.

However, Jagadeesan opened up on the pieces of advice he received from legendary Mahendra Singh Dhoni during his time at CSK.

“He gave me lots of advice when I was in CSK. I used to go to him with my doubts, he has always been there. He would give me technical tips about wicket-keeping and batting. He also explained technical aspects of the game,” said Jagadeesan.

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CSK were engaged in a short bidding war with Kolkata Knight Riders for the 27-year-old wicketkeeper batter but eventually, the two-time IPL champions signed him for INR 90 Lakh.

“More than the money, I am happy to be a part of the team that has selected me. I am looking forward to play for KKR,” said Jagadeesan.

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