India is going to kickstart their campaign in Champions Trophy 2017 against Pakistan at Edgbaston on 4th jJne. As epic as the rivalry it has always been, the contest is long awaited this time and India eyes to level it to 2-2.
While he remained a consistent performer at the domestic level, his success wasn’t replicated in the form of a national call-up. While it was a one-off opportunity, the three-match series against Zimbabwe gave him an ideal platform to show his wares. He didn’t disappoint, his 87-ball unbeaten knock of 105 helping India stave off Zimbabwe.
Kedar Jadhav has been quite consistent with his performance and this is not his first time in England. He travelled here in 2010 with India A, but injuries cut short his tour before he’d got going. Back then he was a youngster but now he is a matured player with each passing day.
Ahead of the clash against Pakistan, he seems confident enough for the match.
“[As a batsman] in India you get settled and then you can play your shots all day long. But here, you’re never settled! You cannot just relax and play your shots, every time you have to focus because suddenly the clouds will be there and the ball will start swinging! Even if you’re batting on 70, suddenly you will feel like you’ve just come in to bat.” he said.
The breakthrough season occurred in 2013-14 when Jadhav made six centuries and 1,223 runs in the Ranji Trophy for Maharashtra. It was January 2017, when England was in India for a series and Jadhav got a chance to bat at no. 6. England batted first and made 350. The local boy walked out when India was on 63-4.
“I always felt,” he says now, “that whatever I wanted [to achieve] in my life I would always get it. But [this happened] slightly later in time! But when I got it, it was there for me forever.”
He scored 120 and later in another game 75 balls 90.
“Getting Man Of The Series at international level, against a good, strong side – that is when you go up to the next level. Now there’s this question of whether you can do it consistently.” is what he had to say.
Like many other youngsters, MS Dhoni is an inspiration to this young lad. He says,
“I’ve been watching him for the last 12 or 13 years,” says Jadhav, “so I’ve observed many things and you get to learn. He’s the kind of person who will always back you, no matter what. He will tell you what mistake you have made, but he won’t show anything in front of you. You feel nice when such a strong and great cricketer backs you. It gives you immense self-belief. And once you are able to do that on the field, there’s every chance you can repeat it every time.”
An overnight sensation, Jadhav is determined to maintain the right balance in his rapidly changing life.
“[My life has] definitely changed, it has added more responsibility on me. But I am a person who leaves cricketing things on the field, and I’ll walk off the field as a normal human being. I look forward to playing with my daughter, going out with my wife and hanging out with my friends. In India it’s not possible but here [in England] not too many people are around so you get time to walk around, go to a restaurant and have some chill time.”