“Fight for every run, and stay mentally strong” – D. Nischal on coach’s message before battling knock
After a riveting day’s play, one side piled up 512 for three before declaring, while the other stumbled to four down in a blink — three of them falling in a stunning hat-trick. Amid the frenzy, three men stood out: one struck a career-best 201 not out, another entered the record books with a hat-trick, and the third — Nagaland opener D. Nischal (80 not out) — battled from nine for three to drag his side to stumps without further damage.
In an exclusive chat with The Hindu, Tamil Nadu’s Pradosh Ranjan Paul and Gurjapneet Singh, along with Nagaland’s Nischal, reflected on a day that had it all.
ALSO READ: Pradosh 201, Gurjapneet hat-trick put TN in ascendancy against Nagaland
“I’m grateful I could contribute to the team in this game,” said Pradosh. “I’ve made a few technical adjustments, working with TJ sir (Tanveer Jabbar). Senthilnathan sir has guided me since the Buchi Babu tournament, as has Robin Singh sir. I’m really grateful to have all three around,” added Pradosh.
“It’s great to get a hat-trick and deliver for my team,” said Gurjapneet. “On a flat wicket, you need to bowl in the right channel — not too short, not too full. After two in two balls, I focussed on maintaining the same length, and it clicked.”
“It was a tough situation. Gurjapneet was on top, and we had to fight for every run. We set small targets, and luckily, it went our way,” said Nischal.
“The coach’s message was clear: fight for every run and stay mentally strong. I focus on playing one ball at a time, and hopefully, I can carry this forward tomorrow,” he added.
Published on Oct 26, 2025
