CHENNAI: While the Delhi Premier League have grabbed attention for the number of runs being scored on their batting-friendly tracks, Tamil Nadu wicketkeeper-batter N Jagadeesan believes the Tamil Nadu Premier League offers a different and equally important challenge, one that demands batsmanship and keeps spinners in the game.Jagadeesan does not feel the TNPL is lagging behind other state leagues in producing players, said that the conditions in which the games are played also need to be taken into account. In his view, explosive batting numbers on flat wickets cannot be the only measure of a league’s quality.“I don’t think we are falling behind by any means. There are a lot of factors that affect this. You can always say that in the DPL you see a lot of players being explosive, but the wickets have got better here in Chennai now,” Jagadeesan told TOI.The TNPL, he said, has traditionally tested batters more because of slower and turning surfaces. “On a good wicket, everybody is going to score runs. But if the wicket is a bit challenging, it is important for batters to still showcase their batting skills. On a wicket that helps the bowlers, you can’t just go bang-bang from ball one, especially against spinners,” he said.Jagadeesan feels the league should continue to maintain that balance rather than becoming completely batting-dominated. “Skill-wise, we are definitely there. But some thought has to be given to wickets that help spinners also. The last couple of years have been very good, but before that, we used to play on wickets that were literally stopping and turning. On those wickets, even scoring 150 was a good score in T20s,” he said.Since its inception in 2016, the TNPL has become an important platform for Tamil Nadu’s young cricketers. Jagadeesan is the overall top scorer of the league with 2,763 runs.“The way we play T20 cricket has immensely improved. We see a lot of youngsters and talent coming up, and many players have gone on to play at the next level. It has definitely been very impactful around the state,” he said.About the lack of players making the transition from TNPL to the IPL and India, Jagadeesan pointed to Sai Sudharsan, Washington Sundar and himself as examples of the league’s impact.“When TNPL started in 2016, we did not hear these names. From there, we have gone on to represent the country. Individuals have grown and there has been growth,” he said. “With the kind of opportunities we are being given, I would expect more players to use them and go on to play for India or at higher levels.”
