Kerala veteran VA Jagadeesh retires from professional cricket

Kerala’s rise in Indian domestic cricket has been a slow and steady development and VA Jagadeesh, a cricketer who has seen its highs and lows very closely, has decided to hang his boots. The 35-year-old decided to do so after Kerala lost their Ranji semifinal clash to Vidarbha inside two days at Wayanad.

Despite not featuring in the knockout stages, Jagadeesh has been a key figure in their meteoric rise. For a side that has stayed on the peripheral edge of the tournament for a major while, to have qualified for knockouts two times in a row is indeed a spectacular achievement. Jagadeesh now wishes to pass on the torch to someone more young and dynamic.

With 3,548 runs in First-class cricket, he is the fourth highest scorer for Kerala, behind Rohan Prem(4,674), Sreekumar Nair (3,921) and Sunil Oasis (3,906). He has played 72 First-class, 62 List A and 40 T20 games in his career and has represented Kerala, India A and South Zone during his time.

Happy to contribute to the team in my last season

Jagadeesh reflected on what has been a memorable campaign for him and his Kerala side this season. He also noted that it was the right time for him to call it the day and felt there are some great young talents in Kerala who can take the side to new uncharted levels.

“I have been playing for Kerala for the last 15 years, and I wanted to go out while I was still in form,” Jagadeesh told Sportstar. “Now there are youngsters to take Kerala cricket forward. That was something I could not achieve with the previous Kerala sides. I am also happy that I could make contributions to the team in my last season.”

“Helping the team win the Ranji match against Bengal at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, with my innings lower down the order was also special. Some people close to me wanted me to play on for Kerala for another couple of seasons. But I had made up mind and discussed it with the team management too. They could understand my point,” He concluded.

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