V A Jagadeesh has been Kerala’s pillar at the totem pole position for nearly a decade now. Jagadeesh has done his job without any frills, making patience the base of his batting. There was a time when Kerala struggled to find a long-term, strong presence at the top and the arrival of Jagadeesh changed all that. He dished out consistent outings at the domestic level, keeping some potent attacks at bay and helping Kerala get off the block in an assured manner. Gradually, Jagadeesh made one half of the opening slot his own. This season, he made 460 runs with three fifties and played a significant part in Kerala reaching on the brink of knockout stage. Jagadeesh also went past an important personal milestone – 3000 runs in Ranji Trophy, and became one of the few batsmen to achieve the feat from the state. It has been a just reward for his perseverance and understated, yet efficient ways at the crease. “Jagadeesh is an important component in Kerala’s line-up as he has experience, skills and patience required for an opener. His temperament is his biggest ally,” said Balachandran, the Kerala team coach. The diminutive right-hander has been a part of India ‘A’ squad that faced West Indies in 2013, and Jagadeesh said such experiences have played a big role in his evolution. “Over the years, I have learned a lot from senior players and coaches in Kerala about building an innings and playing to my strengths. I have also got some chances to play for teams like India ‘A’ and it has been a good experience for me to interact with some top players in India like Cheteshwar Pujara etc,” said Jagadeesh. However, Jagadeesh is no one-trick pony. He can transform into an aggressive force in the limited-over formats and that adaptability is his biggest strength. St Xavier’s wins title St Xavier’s College of Thumba defeated SD College, Alappuzha, by 63 runs to grab the Kerala University inter-collegiate cricket tournament. MG College, Thiruvananthapuram, took the third spot with a three-wicket win over Mar Ivanios College also from Thiruvananthapuram in the third-place play-off. Brief scores: St Xavier’s, Thumba: 138/5 in 20 overs (R Vipin 46, Abhay Jotin 35) bt SD, Alappuzha 75 all out in 19.2 overs (Amal Ramesh 3/14). New Cricketing venue The Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA), the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu (SDAT) and Ramanathapuram District Cricket Association (RDCA) have made an agreement to develop a top grade cricket venue in the district. The eight acres of land near the University College of Engineering at Pullangudi has been identified as the spot for the proposed venue. K T Prabhakaran, the association secretary, said the TNCA would lay the pitches and develop the outfield with imported grass. “The TNCA had promised to develop the outfield with Australian grass after preparing two pitches in the middle,” he said. “We want to offer a quality venue for Ranji matches here, and we are looking to complete the venue by middle of next year,” he added.